先人

Chinese

		early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first	man; person; people
simp. and trad. (先人)		先	人

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiānrén

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢ ㄖㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sin¹ jan⁴
• Jin (Wiktionary): xie¹ reng¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): sian-lîn / sian-jîn

  (Teochew, Peng'im): soin¹ ring⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiānrén
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢ ㄖㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sianrén
    • Wade–Giles: hsien¹-jên²
    • Yale: syān-rén
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shianren
    • Palladius: сяньжэнь (sjanʹžɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 仙人 先人

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: sin¹ jan⁴
    • Yale: sīn yàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sin¹ jan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: xin¹ yen⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːn⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 仙人 先人

• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: xie¹ reng¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /ɕie¹¹ ʐəŋ¹¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sian-lîn
    • Tâi-lô: sian-lîn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sienliin
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /siɛn³³ lin²⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ lin²⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻²² lin²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sian-jîn
    • Tâi-lô: sian-jîn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sienjiin
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻²² d͡zin¹³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ zin²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: soin¹ ring⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: soiⁿ jîng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sõĩ³³⁻²³ d͡ziŋ⁵⁵/

Noun

先人

1. ancestors; forebears; forefathers
2. (respectful) one's deceased father; my late father; my dearly departed father

   • 明道中，從先人還家，於舅家見之，十二三矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     明道中，从先人还家，于舅家见之，十二三矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 960–1127, Wang Anshi, 《傷仲永》

     Míngdào zhōng, cóng xiānrén huánjiā, yú jiù jiā jiàn zhī, shí'èr sān yǐ. [Pinyin]

     In the year of Mingdao, I returned to my home with my late father and saw him in my uncle’s home. He was twelve or thirteen years old by then.

3. the ancients; people from ancient times; forefathers

Synonyms

• (ancestors):

edit

• 上輩 / 上辈 (shàngbèi)
• 上輩子 / 上辈子 (shàngbèizi)
• 先代 (xiāndài) (literary)
• 先古 (xiāngǔ) (literary)
• 先君 (xiānjūn) (literary)
• 先祖 (xiānzǔ) (literary)
• 先輩 / 先辈 (xiānbèi)
• 公婆 (Hokkien)
• 公媽 / 公妈 (Puxian Min, Min Nan)
• 早勻 / 早匀 (Xiamen Hokkien)
• 父祖 (fùzǔ) (literary)
• 皇考 (huángkǎo) (archaic)
• 祖上 (zǔshàng)
• 祖先 (zǔxiān)
• 祖公 (Puxian Min, Hokkien)
• 祖公媽 / 祖公妈 (Puxian Min)
• 祖宗 (zǔzōng)
• 老祖宗
• 老輩 / 老辈 (lǎobèi)

• (one's deceased father): (literary) 亡父 (wángfù), (literary) 先父 (xiānfù), (literary) 先考 (xiānkǎo)
• (the ancients):

edit

• 先民 (xiānmín) (literary)
• 前人 (qiánrén)
• 古人 (gǔrén)
• 古代人 (gǔdàirén)
• 古者 (gǔzhě) (literary)

Derived terms

• 先人板板