Chinese

Noun

先生

1. (Beginning Mandarin) mister, sir

   王先生來了。 / 王先生来了。  ―  Wáng xiānshēng lái le.  ―  Mr. Wang came.

   王先生來矣。 / 王先生来矣。 [Min Nan]  ―  Ông--sian-seⁿ lâi--ah. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  Mr. Ong came.

2. (formal) husband
3. (Gan, Hakka, Min, dated in Mandarin and Jin) doctor
   • 大哥說：「今天請何先生來，給你診一診。」 [MSC, trad.]
     大哥说：“今天请何先生来，给你诊一诊。” [MSC, simp.]
     From: 1918: Lu Xun, A Madman's Diary

     Dàgē shuō: "Jīntiān qǐng Hé xiānshēng lái, gěi nǐ zhěn yī zhěn." [Pinyin]

     My elder brother said, "Today, I've invited Dr. He to come and give you a check up."

4. (Cantonese, Gan, Hakka, Min, dated in Mandarin, honorific in Jin) teacher
   • 他在學堂的時候，先生問他：「直隸省的西邊是哪一省？」他說是陝西。先生說：「錯了，是山西，不是陝西。」他說：「陝西同山西，不是差不多嗎？」 [MSC, trad.]
     他在学堂的时候，先生问他：“直隶省的西边是哪一省？”他说是陕西。先生说：“错了，是山西，不是陕西。”他说：“陕西同山西，不是差不多吗？” [MSC, simp.]
     From: 1924: Hu Shih, Life of Mr. Close Enough

     Tā zài xuétáng de shíhòu, xiānshēng wèn tā: "Zhílì Shěng de xībiān shì nǎ yī shěng?" Tā shuō shì Shǎnxī. Xiānshēng shuō: "Cuò le, shì Shānxī, bùshì Shǎnxī." Tā shuō: "Shǎnxī tóng Shānxī, bùshì chābùduō ma?" [Pinyin]

     When he went to school, the teacher asked him: "Which province is west of Zhili Province?" He answered Shaanxi. The teacher said: "Wrong, it is Shanxi, not Shaanxi." He said: "Would Shaanxi and Shanxi not be close enough?"

   • 先生講，學生恬恬聽。 [Min Nan, trad.]
     先生讲，学生恬恬听。 [Min Nan, simp.]

     Sian-siⁿ kóng, ha̍k-seng tiām-tiām thiaⁿ. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     

     The teacher speaks, and the students silently listen.

Synonyms

• (doctor):

• (teacher): 老師／老师 (lǎoshī)

Descendants

See also

• 太太 (tàitai)
• (Mr.): 氏 (shì)

References

• (Min Nan) “Entry #2069”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2011.

Japanese

Etymology

From Middle Chinese compound 先生 ‎(sen sræng, literally “first + to be born”).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Kan'on
• (Tokyo) せんせ​い [sèńséꜜè] (Nakadaka - [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [sẽ̞nse̞ː]

Noun

先生 ‎(hiragana せんせい, romaji sensei)

1. one who was born earlier: an elder
2. one who excels at a subject: a scholar
3. one who teaches: a teacher or professor
4. sensei (Japanese martial arts teacher)
5. sir, a polite form of address to teachers, doctors, etc.

Usage notes

This is a term of respect, reserved only for speaking about others, and considered somewhat impolite (immodest) to use when referring to oneself. Instead, the term 教師 ‎(kyōshi, “teacher”, literally “teaching + teacher”) is considered more socially appropriate when referring to oneself.

Derived terms

Suffix

先生 ‎(hiragana せんせい, romaji -sensei)

1. a title used after the name of teachers, doctors, lawyers, or certain other professionals

See also

• 師匠 (ししょう) ‎(shishō): a master, a teacher
• 医師 (いし) ‎(ishi): a medical doctor
• 教師 (きょうし) ‎(kyōshi): a teacher
• 教授 (きょうじゅ) ‎(kyōju): a professor
• 弁護士 (べんごし) ‎(bengoshi): an attorney, a lawyer

References

1. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, ISBN 4095102535.

Korean

Noun

先生 • ‎(seonsaeng) ‎(hangeul 선생)

1. Hanja form^? of 선생, “teacher”.

Vietnamese

Noun

先生

1. Hán tự form of tiên sinh, “teacher”