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

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 秀才 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• imperial examination (English)

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 (Shanghai, Wugniu): 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 Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: siu-chhòi
    • Hakka Romanization System: xiu coi^ˇ
    • 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
  • (Northern: 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/
Bernhard 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) synonym of 孝廉 (xiàolián), a person recommended for a government post by local governors [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):

edit

• 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)
• 讀書家 / 读书家 (Taiwanese Hokkien)
• 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