Japanese

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For pronunciation and definitions of しゅうさい – see the following entry.
秀才
[noun] (historical) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, one of the subjects in the examination to enter the civil service
[noun] (historical) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, someone who has passed such an examination
[noun] (historical) a xiucai, licentiate (scholar who has passed the entry-level examination to study at a college) [from the Ming-Qing dynasties]
[noun] (historical) a person recommended for a government post by a provincial governor
[noun] (by extension) a scholar, intellectual, person of knowledge
[noun] (by extension) a prodigy, a brilliant person
(This term, しゅうさい (shūsai), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)