小人

小人

1. scoundrel or villain
2. (archaic) person of low position; commoner; nobody

   • 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. [Pinyin]

     The way to Zhou was like a whetstone, and straight as an arrow.
     [So] 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!” [Pinyin]

     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!"

   • 吾小人輟飧饔以勞吏且不得暇，又何以蕃吾生安吾性耶？ [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     吾小人辍飧饔以劳吏且不得暇，又何以蕃吾生安吾性耶？ [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: c. 805, Liu Zongyuan,《種樹郭橐駝傳》, translated by H. A. Giles, 1922.

     Wú xiǎorén chuò sūnyōng yǐ láo lì qiě bùdé xiá, yòu héyǐ fán wú shēng ān wú xìng yē? [Pinyin]

     Thus are we poor people badgered from morn till eve. We have not a moment to ourselves. How could any one flourish and develop naturally under such conditions?

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

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

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

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

     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

   小人兒書／小人儿书  ―  xiǎorénrshū  ―  picture-story book (originally intended for children)

5. miniature depiction of a person

   用SVG劃個小人／用SVG划个小人  ―  yòng SVG huà ge xiǎorén  ―  draw a person using SVG

6. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 小 (xiǎo),‎ 人 (rén).

• (common people):

小民 (xiǎomín) (In order to observe the name taboo of Emperor Taizong of Tang, 民 (mín) was usually replaced by 人 (rén) during the 7th to 9th centuries)

• (child; kid):

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

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

小(しょう)人(にん) • (shōnin) 

1. child, small person

• 大人(おとな) (otona)

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

小(こ)人(びと) • (kobito) 

1. dwarf

• 巨人(きょじん) (kyojin)

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

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

小(しょう)人(じん) • (shōjin) 

1. narrow-minded person, mean person

• 君子(くんし) (kunshi)

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

小人

1. chữ Hán form of tiểu nhân (“jerk”)