书生

書生
shūshēng
noun #42,107

Meanings

  1. 1 scholar; intellectual
  2. 2 bookish young man

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tā kànqǐlái xiàng ge wénruò de shūshēng.
He looks like a frail scholar.
HSK 7-9
Gùshi lǐ de qióng shūshēng jìnjīng gǎnkǎo, zài lùshang yùdào le yí wèi húxiān.
In the story, a poor scholar on his way to the capital for the imperial exams meets a fox spirit.

Tips

culture
The self-mocking line 百无一用是书生 'of all people, the scholar is the one good for nothing' comes from the Qing poet 黄景仁. In old tales and operas the poor 书生 heading to the capital for the exams is the stock romantic hero.

Stroke Order

书 shū
生 shēng