秀才

Chinese

		to ear; beautiful; elegant to ear; beautiful; elegant; outstanding; to show; to display; show	ability; talent; endowment ability; talent; endowment; gift; an expert; only (then); only if; just
trad. (秀才)		秀	才
simp. #(秀才)		秀	才

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 秀才

1. (historical) licentiate (scholar who has passed the entry-level examination to study at a college) [from the Ming-Qing dynasties]
2. (historical) person recommended for a government post by a provincial governor [prior to 605]
3. (by extension) scholar; intellectual; person of knowledge

Synonyms

• (xiucai): 生員／生员 (shēngyuán)
• (scholar):

(deprecated template usage)

• 人士 (rénshì) (literary)
• 儒生 (rúshēng) (literary)
• 士人 (shìrén) (literary)
• 學人／学人 (xuérén)
• 學士／学士 (xuéshì)
• 學者／学者 (xuézhě)
• 文人 (wénrén)
• 文人墨客 (wénrénmòkè)
• 文士 (wénshì)
• 書生／书生 (shūshēng)
• 知識人／知识人
• 知識分子／知识分子
• 讀冊人／读册人 (Hokkien)
• 讀書人／读书人 (dúshūrén)
• 騷人／骚人 (sāorén)
• 騷人墨客／骚人墨客 (sāorénmòkè)
• 騷客／骚客 (sāokè)
• 墨客 (mòkè)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (秀才):

• → Japanese: 秀(しゅう)才(さい) (shūsai); 秀(す)才(さい) (susai)
• → Korean: 수재(秀才) (sujae)
• → Vietnamese: tú tài (秀才)

Others

• → English: xiucai

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
秀	才
しゅう Grade: S	さい Grade: 2
kan’on

/sɨusai/ → /ɕɨusai/ → /ɕuːsai/

Appears already in texts from 718 CE.

From Middle Chinese 秀才 (MC sjuwH dzoj, literally “outstanding + ability, talent”).

Noun

秀(しゅう)才(さい) • (shūsai) ^{←しうさい (siusai)?}

1. (historical) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, one of the subjects in the examination to enter the civil service
2. (historical) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, someone who has passed such an examination
3. (historical) a xiucai, licentiate (scholar who has passed the entry-level examination to study at a college) [from the Ming-Qing dynasties]
4. (historical) a person recommended for a government post by a provincial governor
5. (by extension) a scholar, intellectual, person of knowledge
6. (by extension) a prodigy, a brilliant person

Usage notes

The brilliant person sense is the most common sense in modern usage.

Derived terms

• 菅(かん)秀才(しゅうさい) (Kan Shūsai, eldest son of Sugawara no Michizane in a jōruri narrative)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
秀	才
しゅう > す Grade: S	さい Grade: 2
irregular	kan’on

/sɨusai/ → /susai/

Shift in reading of historical siusai reading. Appears in the Utsubo Monogatari of 970–999 CE.

This reading appears to be obsolete in modern Japanese.

Noun

秀(す)才(さい) • (susai) 

1. (historical, obsolete) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, one of the subjects in the examination to enter the civil service
2. (historical, obsolete) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, someone who has passed such an examination