小人

Chinese

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• 小人

Pronunciation

Noun

小人

1. scoundrel or villain
2. (archaic) person of low position

   • 周道如砥、其直如矢。
     君子所履、小人所視。
     睠言顧之、潸焉出涕。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     周道如砥、其直如矢。
     君子所履、小人所视。
     睠言顾之、潸焉出涕。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zhōudào rú dǐ, qí zhí rú shǐ.
     Jūnzǐ suǒ lǚ, xiǎorén suǒ shì.
     Juàn yán gù zhī, shān yān chū tì.

     The way to Zhou was like a whetstone, and straight as an arrow.
     the athelings trod it, and the common people looked on it.
     When I look back and think of it, my tears run down in streams.

   • 郡遣督郵至縣，吏白「應束帶見之」，潛歎曰：「吾不能為五斗米折腰，拳拳事鄉里小人邪！」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     郡遣督邮至县，吏白「应束带见之」，潜叹曰：「吾不能为五斗米折腰，拳拳事乡里小人邪！」 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 648 CE, Fang Xuanling (lead editor), Book of Jin

     Jùn qiǎn dūyóu zhì xiàn, lì bái “yīng shùdài jiàn zhī”, Qián tàn yuē: “Wú bùnéng wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhéyāo, quánquán shì xiānglǐ xiǎorén yé!”

     The commandery sent a postal inspector to the county, and an official suggested: "You should wear formal clothes to see him." Qian sighed: "I cannot bow down for the sake of five pecks of rice and flatter a base person!"

3. (archaic) small-minded person or person of low moral qualities

   • 小人慼，謂之不免。君子恕，以爲必歸。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     小人戚，谓之不免。君子恕，以为必归。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Xiǎorén qī, wèi zhī bù miǎn. Jūnzǐ shù, yǐweí bì guī.

     The small-minded are anxiety-laden, and they say that (our master) could not have been spared. The junzi treat others with mercy, and they believe that (you) will do the same and free him eventually.

4. (dialectal Mandarin, Wu) child; kid
5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 小 (xiǎo),‎ 人 (rén).

Synonyms

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “person of low position”): 大人 (dàrén)
• (antonym(s) of “small-minded person”): 君子 (jūnzǐ)

Derived terms

Descendants

Japanese

Etymology 1

From 小 (shō, "small," "little") + 人 (nin, "human being").

Noun

小(しょう)人(にん) • (shōnin) 

1. child, small person

Antonyms

• 大人(おとな) (otona)

Etymology 2

From 小 (ko, "small," "little") + 人 (hito, "man"). The word hito changes to bito due to rendaku.

Noun

小(こ)人(びと) • (kobito) 

1. dwarf

Antonyms

• 巨人(きょじん) (kyojin)

Derived terms

• コビトカバ (kobito kaba): pygmy hippopotamus

Etymology 3

From 小 (shō, "small," "little") + 人 (jin, "human being").

Noun

小(しょう)人(じん) • (shōjin) 

1. narrow-minded person, mean person

Antonyms

• 君子(くんし) (kunshi)

Derived terms

• 小(しょう)人(じん)閑(かん)居(きょ) (shōjin kankyo, “idle hands”)

Vietnamese

Noun

小人

1. chữ Hán form of tiểu nhân (“jerk”).