賢人

See also: 贤人

Chinese

		worthy (person)	man; person; people
trad. (賢人)		賢	人
simp. (贤人)		贤	人

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiánrén

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄖㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jin⁴ jan⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): hièn-ngìn / hiàn-ngìn

  (Hailu, HRS): hien ngin

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hiân-lîn / hiân-jîn

  (Teochew, Peng'im): hiên⁵ ring⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiánrén
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄖㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siánrén
    • Wade–Giles: hsien²-jên²
    • Yale: syán-rén
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyanren
    • Palladius: сяньжэнь (sjanʹžɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ ʐən³⁵/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 賢人 / 贤人 閒人 / 闲人

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jin⁴ jan⁴
    • Yale: yìhn yàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jin⁴ jan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yin⁴ yen⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiːn²¹ jɐn²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hièn-ngìn
    • Hakka Romanization System: hien^ˇ ngin^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: hian² ngin²
    • Sinological IPA: /hi̯en¹¹ ŋin¹¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hiàn-ngìn
    • Hakka Romanization System: hian^ˇ ngin^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: hian² ngin²
    • Sinological IPA: /hi̯an¹¹ ŋin¹¹/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: hien ngin
    • Sinological IPA: /hien⁵⁵ ŋin⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hiân-lîn
    • Tâi-lô: hiân-lîn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hienliin
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou, Xiamen): /hiɛn²⁴⁻²² lin²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /hiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ lin²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hiân-jîn
    • Tâi-lô: hiân-jîn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hienjiin
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɛn²³⁻³³ zin²³/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɛn¹³⁻²² d͡zin¹³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: hiên⁵ ring⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hiêⁿ jîng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hĩẽ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ d͡ziŋ⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: hen nyin

Rime
Character	賢	人
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	日 (38)
Final (韻)	先 (85)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	IV	III
Fanqie	胡田切	如鄰切
Baxter	hen	nyin
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦen/	/ȵiɪn/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦen/	/ȵin/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣɛn/	/ȵʑjen/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦɛn/	/ȵin/
Li Rong	/ɣen/	/ȵiĕn/
Wang Li	/ɣien/	/ȵʑĭĕn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣien/	/ȵʑi̯ĕn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xián	rén
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jin4	jan4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[g]ˤi[n]  ni[ŋ]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡiːn  njin/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	賢	人
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xián	rén
Middle Chinese	‹ hen ›	‹ nyin ›
Old Chinese	/*[g]ˁi[n]/	/*ni[ŋ]/
English	worthy	(other) person
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	賢	人
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	1337	10800
Phonetic component	臣	人
Rime group	眞	眞
Rime subdivision	1	1
Corresponding MC rime	賢	仁
Old Chinese	/*ɡiːn/	/*njin/

Noun

賢人

1. worthy or virtuous person; upright person; person of outstanding integrity; sage

   • 有親則可久，有功則可大。可久則賢人之德，可大則賢人之業。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     有亲则可久，有功则可大。可久则贤人之德，可大则贤人之业。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE

     Yǒu qīn zé kě jiǔ, yǒu gōng zé kě dà. Kě jiǔ zé xiánrén zhī dé, kě dà zé xiánrén zhī yè. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Synonyms

• (literary) 賢士／贤士 (xiánshì)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (賢人):

• → Japanese: 賢(けん)人(じん) (kenjin); 賢(けん)人(と) (kento)
• → Korean: 현인(賢人) (hyeonin)
• → Vietnamese: hiền nhân (賢人)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 賢人 – see 𠢕人 (“virtuous person; upright person; person of outstanding integrity; sage”). (This term is a variant form of 𠢕人).

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
賢	人
けん Grade: S	じん Grade: 1
kan'on

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) けんじん [kèńjíń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [kẽ̞ɲ̟d͡ʑĩɴ]

Noun

賢(けん)人(じん) • (kenjin) ^{←けんじん (kenzin)?}

1. wise man

   賢(けん)人(じん)会(かい)議(ぎ) ― kenjin kaigi ― Witenagemot

Derived terms

• 賢(けん)人(じん)立(だ)て (kenjin date)

Related terms

• 賢(けん)者(じゃ) (kenja)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
賢	人
けん Grade: S	と Grade: 1
kan'on	nanori

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) けんと [kéꜜǹtò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [kẽ̞nto̞]

Proper noun

賢(けん)人(と) • (Kento) 

1. a male given name

References

• “賢人”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025

Korean

Hanja in this term
賢	人

Noun

賢人 • (hyeonin) (hangeul 현인)

1. hanja form^? of 현인 (“wise man; sage”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
賢	人

Proper noun

賢人

1. chữ Hán form of hiền nhân (“worthy, good person, virtuous person”)