TongTong
Sign in

术士 (shù shì) — historical scholar and ritual specialist (Confucian, Daoist, etc.); magician, sorcerer, practitioner of occult arts

Definition

In classical texts, 术士 covers two figures: a Confucian or Daoist scholar-expert, and a magician/alchemist who practices divination, alchemy, or other occult arts. The two senses are usually clear from context.

noun
historical scholar and ritual specialist (Confucian, Daoist, etc.)magiciansorcererpractitioner of occult arts

Examples

  • 术士。
    Gǔ dài yǒu hěn duō shù shì jīng tōng rú jiā jīng diǎn.
    In ancient times, many shushi were proficient in Confucian classics.
  • 术士。
    Zhè wèi shù shì huì zhān bǔ hé liàn dān shù.
    This shushi knows divination and alchemy.
  • 术士。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ de shù shì néng hū fēng huàn yǔ.
    The shushi in the novel can summon wind and rain.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

术shùart
士shìscholar

术 (art) plus 士 (scholar) gives a person skilled in arts.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 術; 术 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet, path
Sound part声符shēngfú
朮
朮zhú術shù
Same sound today

The traditional form 術 has 行 (street, path) beside 朮, which gives the sound; the simplified 术 is a later shorthand.

Open 术 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 士 comes from a simple drawing of a war axe. The character later came to mean a soldier, officer, or intellectual.

Open 士 →
Appears in
Mythology & FolkloreProfessions & Jobs

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.