一介書生

Chinese

		upright; “one” + classifier: a ...	scholar; intellectual; pedantic scholar
trad. (一介書生)		一介	書生
simp. (一介书生)		一介	书生

Etymology

From Tengwang Ge Xu by 王勃 (Wang Bo):

勃，三尺微命，一介書生。無路請纓，等終軍之弱冠。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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勃，三尺微命，一介书生。无路请缨，等终军之弱冠。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 王勃 (Wang Bo), 《滕王閣序》

Bó, sān chǐ wēi mìng, yījièshūshēng. Wúlù qǐngyīng, děng Zhōng Jūn zhī ruòguàn. [Pinyin]

I, Wang Bo, am merely a scholar of low status. I have no way to serve the country like Zhong Jun did, despite being a young adult as he once was.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yījièshūshēng

  (Zhuyin): ㄧ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄕㄨ ㄕㄥ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jat¹ gaai³ syu¹ sang¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yījièshūshēng [Phonetic: yíjièshūshēng]
    • Zhuyin: ㄧ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄕㄨ ㄕㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yijièshusheng
    • Wade–Giles: i¹-chieh⁴-shu¹-shêng¹
    • Yale: yī-jyè-shū-shēng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ijiehshusheng
    • Palladius: ицзешушэн (iczešušɛn)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ ʂu⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jat¹ gaai³ syu¹ sang¹
    • Yale: yāt gaai syū sāng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jat⁷ gaai³ sy¹ sang¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yed¹ gai³ xu¹ seng¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐt̚⁵ kaːi̯³³ syː⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: 'jit keajH syo sraeng|sraengH

Rime
Character	一	介	書	生	生
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/1	1/2	2/2
Initial (聲)	影 (34)	見 (28)	書 (26)	生 (21)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	眞 (48)	皆 (33)	魚 (22)	庚 (109)	庚 (109)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	II	III	II	II
Fanqie	於悉切	古拜切	傷魚切	所庚切	所敬切
Baxter	'jit	keajH	syo	sraeng	sraengH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔiɪt̚/	/kˠɛiH/	/ɕɨʌ/	/ʃˠæŋ/	/ʃˠæŋH/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔit̚/	/kᵚæiH/	/ɕiɔ/	/ʃᵚaŋ/	/ʃᵚaŋH/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔjet̚/	/kɐiH/	/ɕiɔ/	/ʃaŋ/	/ʃaŋH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔit̚/	/kəɨjH/	/ɕɨə̆/	/ʂaɨjŋ/	/ʂaɨjŋH/
Li Rong	/ʔiĕt̚/	/kɛiH/	/ɕiɔ/	/ʃɐŋ/	/ʃɐŋH/
Wang Li	/ĭĕt̚/	/kɐiH/	/ɕĭo/	/ʃɐŋ/	/ʃɐŋH/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʔi̯ĕt̚/	/kăiH/	/ɕi̯wo/	/ʂɐŋ/	/ʂɐŋH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yi	jiè	shū	shēng	shèng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jat1	gaai3	syu1	sang1	sang3

Idiom

一介書生

1. nothing but a scholar; a scholar; an intellectual