先生

Chinese

simpl. and trad.
先生

Etymology

From 先 (xiān, Old Chinese *sɯːn(s), "before, ahead") and 生 (shēng, OC *shleːŋ, *sreŋs, "to be born"), i.e. "one who was born earlier". Attested in Shijing ("first child"), Yili ("elder brother"), Classic of Rites ("teacher"), Mengzi ("a knowledgeable elder").

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiānshēng

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢ ㄕㄥ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sin¹ saang¹
• Hakka (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ): sîn-sâng
• Min Nan (POJ): sian-siⁿ / sin-seⁿ / sian-seⁿ
• Wu (WT Romanisation): xi san (T1)

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: xiānshēng → xiānsheng (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢ ㄕㄥ → ㄒㄧㄢ ㄕㄥ˙ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shian.sheng
    • IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/ → /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ²/

    • (file)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)
    • Jyutping: sin¹ saang¹
    • Yale: sīn sāang
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sin¹ saang¹
    • IPA ^(key): /siːn⁵⁵ sɑːŋ⁵⁵/
    • Homophones: Add homophones
• Hakka
  • Romanisations:
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sîn-sâng
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sian-siⁿ / sin-seⁿ / sian-seⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: sian-sinn / sin-senn / sian-senn
    • IPA (Taipei): /ɕɪɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ ɕĩ⁴⁴/, /ɕin⁴⁴⁻³³ sẽ⁴⁴/, /ɕɪɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ sẽ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕɪɛn³⁴⁻²² ɕĩ³⁴/, /ɕin³⁴⁻²² sẽ³⁴/, /ɕɪɛn³⁴⁻²² sẽ³⁴/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • WT Romanisation: xi san (T1)
    • IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵ sã²¹/

Noun

先生

1. (Beginning Mandarin) mister, sir
   • 王先生來了。 [Beijing Mandarin, MSC, trad.]
   • 王先生来了。 [Beijing Mandarin, MSC, simp.]

     Wáng xiānshēng lái le. [Pinyin]

     Mr. Wang came.

2. (formal) husband
3. (dated) Doctor; Dr
   • 1918: Lu Xun, A Madman's Diary

     大哥說：「今天請何先生來，給你診一診。」

     My elder brother said, "Today, I've invited Dr. He to come and give you a check up."

4. (regional) doctor

Related terms

• 太太

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
先	生
せん Grade: 1	せい Grade: 1
on'yomi

Etymology

From Sinitic 先生.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /senseː/

Noun

先生 (hiragana せんせい, romaji sensei)

1. one who was born earlier; an elder
2. one who excels at a subject; a scholar
3. one who teaches; a teacher or professor
4. sensei (Japanese martial arts teacher)
5. sir, a polite form of address to teachers, doctors, etc.

Usage notes

This is a term of respect, reserved only for speaking about others, and considered somewhat impolite (immodest) to use when referring to oneself. Instead, the term 教師 (kyōshi, "teacher") is considered more socially appropriate when referring to oneself.

Derived terms

• 大先生 (だいせんせい, daisensei): great teacher, high authority

Suffix

先生 (hiragana せんせい, romaji -sensei)

1. a title used after the name of teachers, doctors, lawyers, or certain other professionals

See also

• 師匠 (ししょう, shishō): a master, a teacher
• 医師 (いし, ishi): a medical doctor
• 教師 (きょうし, kyōshi): a teacher
• 教授 (きょうじゅ, kyōju): a professor
• 弁護士 (べんごし, bengoshi): an attorney, a lawyer

References

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakkan, ISBN 4095102535.

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Korean

Hanja in this word
先	生

Noun

先生 (seonsaeng) (hangeul 선생)

1. Hanja form^? of 선생, “teacher”.