秀才

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) person recommended for a government post by a provincial governor [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

• (scholar who has passed): 生員／生员 (shēngyuán)
• (scholar):

Others

• → English: xiucai

/sɨusai/ → /ɕɨusai/ → /ɕuːsai/

Appears already in texts from 718 CE.^[1]

From Middle Chinese 秀才 (MC sjuwH dzoj, literally “outstanding + ability, talent”).

• (Tokyo) しゅうさい [shùúsáí] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [ɕɨːsa̠i]

秀(しゅう)才(さい) • (shūsai) ^{←しうさい (siusai)?}

1. (historical) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, one of the subjects in the examination to enter the civil service
2. (historical) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, someone who has passed such an examination
3. (historical) a xiucai, licentiate (scholar who has passed the entry-level examination to study at a college) [from the Ming-Qing dynasties]
4. (historical) a person recommended for a government post by a provincial governor
5. (by extension) a scholar, intellectual, person of knowledge
6. (by extension) a prodigy, a brilliant person

The brilliant person sense is the most common sense in modern usage.

• 菅(かん)秀才(しゅうさい) (Kan Shūsai, eldest son of Sugawara no Michizane in a jōruri narrative)

/sɨusai/ → /susai/

Shift in reading of historical siusai reading.^[1][2][3] Appears in the Utsubo Monogatari of 970–999 CE.^[1]

This reading appears to be obsolete in modern Japanese.

• IPA^(key): [sɨsa̠i]

秀(す)才(さい) • (susai) 

1. (historical, obsolete) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, one of the subjects in the examination to enter the civil service
2. (historical, obsolete) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, someone who has passed such an examination