奴才

Chinese

		slave	ability; talent; endowment ability; talent; endowment; gift; an expert; only (then); only if; just
trad. (奴才)		奴	才
simp. #(奴才)		奴	才
alternative forms		奴材

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): núcái

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄨˊ ㄘㄞˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): nou⁴ coi⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): nù-chhòi / nùng-chhòi
• Eastern Min (BUC): nù-chài
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): lô͘-châi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): nou⁵ cai⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: núcái → núcai (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄨˊ ㄘㄞˊ → ㄋㄨˊ ˙ㄘㄞ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: núcåi
    • Wade–Giles: nu²-tsʻai⁵
    • Yale: nú-tsai
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nu.tsair
    • Palladius: нуцай (nucaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nu³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵/ → /nu³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯³/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: nou⁴ coi⁴
    • Yale: nòuh chòih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: nou⁴ tsoi⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: nou⁴ coi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nou̯²¹ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: nù-chhòi / nùng-chhòi
    • Hakka Romanization System: nu^ˇ coi^ˇ / nung^ˇ coi^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: nu² coi² / nung² coi²
    • Sinological IPA: /nu¹¹ t͡sʰoi̯¹¹/, /nuŋ¹¹ t͡sʰoi̯¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: nù-chài
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nˡu⁵³⁻³³ ^(t͡sʰ-)ʒai⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lô͘-châi
    • Tâi-lô: lôo-tsâi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lozaai
    • IPA (Xiamen): /lɔ²⁴⁻²² t͡sai²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lɔ²⁴⁻²² t͡sai²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /lɔ¹³⁻²² t͡sai¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /lɔ²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sai²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /lɔ²³⁻³³ t͡sai²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: nou⁵ cai⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: nôu tshâi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nou⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sʰai⁵⁵/

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 奴才

1. slave; servant; flunkey
2. (derogatory) lackey; minion

Synonyms

• (slave): 臣僕／臣仆 (chénpú), 奴隸／奴隶 (núlì)

Pronoun

奴才

1. Used by court eunuchs and officials during the Ming and Qing dynasties when addressing the emperor, as a term of self-reference: I, the servant

   • 奴才替天下百姓感激皇太后恩典！ [MSC, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Firmament of the Pleiades

     Núcái tì tiānxià bǎixìng gǎnjī huángtàihòu ēndiǎn! [Pinyin]

     I, on behalf of the people throughout the world, [hereby] express my gratitude for the kindness of the empress dowager!

(deprecated template usage)