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

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiùcái

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄘㄞˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sau³ coi⁴, sau³ coi^4-2
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): siu-chhòi
• Eastern Min (BUC): séu-cài / séu-còi
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): siù-châi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): siu³ zai⁵

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁵shieu-ze

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiùcái → xiùcai (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄘㄞˊ → ㄒㄧㄡˋ ˙ㄘㄞ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siòucåi
    • Wade–Giles: hsiu⁴-tsʻai⁵
    • Yale: syòu-tsai
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiow.tsair
    • Palladius: сюцай (sjucaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵/ → /ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sau³ coi⁴, sau³ coi^4-2
    • Yale: sau chòih, sau chói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sau³ tsoi⁴, sau³ tsoi^4-2
    • Guangdong Romanization: seo³ coi⁴, seo³ coi^4-2
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐu̯³³ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹/, /sɐu̯³³ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹⁻³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: siu-chhòi
    • Hakka Romanization System: xiu coiˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xiu⁴ coi²
    • Sinological IPA: /si̯u⁵⁵ t͡sʰoi̯¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: séu-cài / séu-còi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sieu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ^(t͡s-)ʒai⁵³/, /sieu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ^(t͡s-)ʒøy⁵³/

Note:

• séu-cài - literary;
• séu-còi - colloquial.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siù-châi
    • Tâi-lô: siù-tsâi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: siuozaai
    • IPA (Xiamen): /siu²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sai²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /siu⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ t͡sai²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /siu²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sai¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /siu¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡sai²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /siu²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sai²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: siu³ zai⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: siù tsâi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sai⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁵shieu-ze
    • MiniDict: shieu^去 ze
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²xieu-ze
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕiɤ³³ ze⁴⁴/

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• Middle Chinese: sjuwH dzoj

Rime
Character	秀	才
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	尤 (136)	咍 (41)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	息救切	昨哉切
Baxter	sjuwH	dzoj
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sɨuH/	/d͡zʌi/
Pan Wuyun	/siuH/	/d͡zəi/
Shao Rongfen	/siəuH/	/d͡zɒi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/suwH/	/d͡zəj/
Li Rong	/siuH/	/d͡zᴀi/
Wang Li	/sĭəuH/	/d͡zɒi/
Bernard Karlgren	/si̯ə̯uH/	/d͡zʱɑ̆i/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiù	cái
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sau3	coi4

Noun

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
4. (Philippine Hokkien, dice games) a dice roll with one face of four in a Mooncake Festival Dice Game

   Synonym: 一秀

Synonyms

• (scholar who has passed): 生員／生员 (shēngyuán)
• (scholar):

• 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)

 

Derived terms

• 女秀才
• 尺二秀才
• 廩膳秀才／廪膳秀才
• 文選爛，秀才半／文选烂，秀才半
• 毛秀才 (máoxiùcái)
• 白鶴秀才／白鹤秀才
• 秀才不出門，能知天下事／秀才不出门，能知天下事 (xiùcái bù chūmén, néng zhī tiānxià shì)
• 秀才人情
• 秀才作醫，如菜作虀／秀才作医，如菜作虀
• 秀才造反
• 秀才遇到兵——有理說不清／秀才遇到兵——有理说不清 (xiùcái yùdào bīng, yǒulǐ shuōbùqīng)
• 飽學秀才／饱学秀才
• 麴秀才／曲秀才 (qūxiùcái)

 

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

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”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しゅうさい [shùúsáí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕɨᵝːsa̠i]

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sɨᵝsa̠i]

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