# 秀才
## Chinese

* 秀才 (Written Standard Chinese)
* imperial examination (English)

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): xiùcái
    (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄘㄞˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): sau$^3$ coi$^4$ / sau$^3$ coi$^{4-2}$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): siu-chhòi
* Eastern Min (BUC): séu-cài / séu-còi
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): siù-châi
    (Teochew, Peng'im): siu$^3$ zai$^5$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$shieu-ze
* 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: hsiu$^4$-tsʻai$^5$
*** Yale: syòu-tsai
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiow.tsair
*** Palladius: сюцай (sjucaj)
*** Sinological IPA : /ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵/ → /ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: sau$^3$ coi$^4$ / sau$^3$ coi$^{4-2}$
*** Yale: sau chòih / sau chói
*** Cantonese Pinyin: sau$^3$ tsoi$^4$ / sau$^3$ tsoi$^{4-2}$
*** Guangdong Romanization: seo$^3$ coi$^4$ / seo$^3$ coi$^{4-2}$
*** Sinological IPA : /sɐu̯³³ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹/, /sɐu̯³³ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹⁻³⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: siu-chhòi
*** Hakka Romanization System: xiu coi$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: xiu$^4$ coi$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /si̯u⁵⁵ t͡sʰoi̯¹¹/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: séu-cài / séu-còi
*** Sinological IPA : /sieu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ $^{(t͡s-)}$ʒai⁵³/, /sieu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ $^{(t͡s-)}$ʒøy⁵³/
* séu-cài - literary;
* séu-còi - colloquial.
* 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 | /sɨu$^H$/ | /d͡zʌi/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /siu$^H$/ | /d͡zəi/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /siəu$^H$/ | /d͡zɒi/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /suw$^H$/ | /d͡zəj/ |
| Li Rong | /siu$^H$/ | /d͡zᴀi/ |
| Wang Li | /sĭəu$^H$/ | /d͡zɒi/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /si̯ə̯u$^H$/ | /d͡zʱɑ̆i/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | xiù | cái |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | sau$^3$ | coi$^4$ |

### Noun

秀才
* (historical) licentiate (scholar who has passed the entry-level examination to study at a college) [from the Ming-Qing dynasties]
* (historical) person recommended for a government post by a provincial governor [prior to 605]
* (by extension) scholar; intellectual; person of knowledge
* (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):
* 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)
* 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

* → 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

## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 秀 | 才 |
| しゅう Grade: S | さい Grade: 2 |
| kan'on ||
/sɨusai/ → /ɕɨusai/ → /ɕuːsai/
Appears already in texts from 718 CE.
From Middle Chinese 秀才 (MC sjuwH dzoj, literally “outstanding + ability, talent”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) しゅうさい [shùúsáí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɕɨːsa̠i]

#### Noun

秀(しゅう)才(さい) • (shūsai)
* (historical) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, one of the subjects in the examination to enter the civil service
* (historical) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, someone who has passed such an examination
* (historical) a xiucai, licentiate (scholar who has passed the entry-level examination to study at a college) [from the Ming-Qing dynasties]
* (historical) a person recommended for a government post by a provincial governor
* (by extension) a scholar, intellectual, person of knowledge
* (by extension) a prodigy, a brilliant person

##### Usage notes

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

##### Derived terms

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

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 秀 | 才 |
| しゅう > す Grade: S | さい Grade: 2 |
| irregular | kan'on |
/sɨusai/ → /susai/
Shift in reading of historical siusai reading. Appears in the Utsubo Monogatari of 970–999 CE.
This reading appears to be obsolete in modern Japanese.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [sɨsa̠i]

#### Noun

秀(す)才(さい) • (susai)
* (historical, obsolete) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, one of the subjects in the examination to enter the civil service
* (historical, obsolete) in the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system of ancient Japan, someone who has passed such an examination

### References

* 1 2 3 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN