# 寡人
## Chinese
### Etymology

Kong Yingda explains this term as 寡德之人 (guǎdé zhī rén "person of meagre virtue").

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): guǎrén
    (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄖㄣˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): gwaa$^2$ jan$^4$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kóa-ngìn
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kóa-lîn / kóaⁿ-jîn
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: guǎrén
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄖㄣˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: guǎrén
*** Wade–Giles: kua$^3$-jên$^2$
*** Yale: gwǎ-rén
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: goaren
*** Palladius: гуажэнь (guažɛnʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gwaa$^2$ jan$^4$
*** Yale: gwá yàhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gwaa$^2$ jan$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: gua$^2$ yen$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /kʷaː³⁵ jɐn²¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kóa-ngìn
*** Hakka Romanization System: gua$^ˋ$ ngin$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: gua$^3$ ngin$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /ku̯a³¹ ŋin¹¹/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kóa-lîn
*** Tâi-lô: kuá-lîn
*** Phofsit Daibuun: koafliin
*** IPA (Xiamen): /kua⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin²⁴/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kóaⁿ-jîn
*** Tâi-lô: kuánn-jîn
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kvoafjiin
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kuã⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ zin²³/
* Middle Chinese: kwaeX nyin
Rime :
| Character | 寡 | 人 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 見 (28) | 日 (38) |
| Final (韻) | 麻 (99) | 眞 (43) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Closed | Open |
| Division (等) | II | III |
| Fanqie | 古瓦切 | 如鄰切 |
| Baxter | kwaeX | nyin |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /kˠua$^X$/ | /ȵiɪn/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /kʷᵚa$^X$/ | /ȵin/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /kua$^X$/ | /ȵʑjen/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /kwaɨ$^X$/ | /ȵin/ |
| Li Rong | /kua$^X$/ | /ȵiĕn/ |
| Wang Li | /kwa$^X$/ | /ȵʑĭĕn/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /kwa$^X$/ | /ȵʑi̯ĕn/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | guǎ | rén |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | gwaa$^2$ | jan$^4$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[C.k]ʷˤraʔ ni[ŋ]/
    (Zhengzhang): /*kʷraːʔ njin/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 寡 | 人 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | guǎ | rén |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ kwæ$^X$ › | ‹ nyin › |
| Old Chinese | /*[C.k]ʷˁraʔ/ | /*ni[ŋ]/ |
| English | few | (other) person |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. |||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 寡 | 人 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 4400 | 10800 |
| Phonetic component | 寡 | 人 |
| Rime group | 魚 | 眞 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 寡 | 仁 |
| Old Chinese | /*kʷraːʔ/ | /*njin/ |

### Pronoun

寡人
* (imperial, humble, archaic) I; we; "lonesome one" (similar to the royal we; first person pronoun reserved for use by monarchs to refer to themselves when speaking to their subordinates)
    From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
    Liáng Huì Wáng yuē: “Guǎrén zhī yú guó yě, jìnxīn yān ěr yǐ.” [Pinyin]
    King Hui of Liang said, "I have exerted my mind to the utmost for my kingdom."
    From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE
    Yúshì wáng zhàojiàn, wèn Lìn Xiàngrú yuē: “Qín wáng yǐ shíwǔ chéng qǐng yì guǎrén zhī bì, kě yǔ fǒu?” [Pinyin]
    So the King summoned Lin Xiangru and asked, "The King of Qin has proposed bartering fifteen towns for my jade (Heshibi). Can I give him (my jade)?"
* (noble, archaic) I (first-person pronoun used by the wife of a feudal prince)
    From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
    Xiānjūn zhī sī, yǐ xù guǎrén. [Pinyin]
    In thinking of our deceased lord, she encouraged me.

#### See also

* 朕 (zhèn)
* 不穀／不谷 (bùgǔ)
* 孤 (gū)

### Noun

寡人
* lonely person

#### Derived terms

* 孤家寡人 (gūjiāguǎrén)

### References

* ↑ Zheng Xuan (annotator) and Kong Yingda (clarifier).《禮記正義》 Correct Meanings of Book of Rites, 卷五 "Volume 5". quote:「寡人者，言己是寡德之人。」

### Further reading

* 朱熹 (Zhu Xi), 《孟子集注》 Collected Annotations on Mencius, "King Hui of Liang A"
* 朱熹 (Zhu Xi), 《詩經集傳》 Collected Commentaries on the Classic of Poetry, "Volume 2"