Definition

Noun: 1. A young scholar or student (historical/literary): Refers specifically to a young male student or scholar in pre-modern or classical contexts, often depicted as studious, gentle, and refined. 2. A bookish or delicate young man (colloquial): Describes a young man with a slender, gentle, or somewhat frail appearance, typical of someone not accustomed to manual labor.

Usage Examples

• Noun (historical/literary):

  • Trong truyện cổ, chàng thư sinh nghèo thường đỗ trạng nguyên. (In folktales, the poor young scholar often passes the top imperial exam.)
  • Vẻ ngoài của anh ấy rất thư sinh. (His appearance is very scholarly/gentlemanly.)

• Noun (colloquial, descriptive):

  • Cậu ấy có dáng người thư sinh, ốm và cao. (He has a bookish physique, thin and tall.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a connotation of intellectual pursuit, politeness, and sometimes a lack of worldly toughness or physical strength. It is frequently used in historical novels, period dramas, and sometimes humorously or teasingly in modern speech.

Variants and Related Words

• Bạch diện thư sinh (n): A direct, often idiomatic, compound meaning "a pale-faced young scholar"; emphasizes youth, inexperience, or a delicate, untanned complexion from studying indoors.
  • Anh chàng bạch diện thư sinh mới ra trường. (The fresh-faced young scholar just graduated.)

Synonyms

• Scholar: A person devoted to academic study.
• Student: A person who is studying.
• Bookworm: A person devoted to reading (less formal, can be gender-neutral).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Bạch diện thư sinh: As above, an idiom highlighting the pale, studious appearance of a traditional scholar, sometimes used to imply naivety or lack of experience.
  • Đừng có vẻ mặt bạch diện thư sinh thế, phải cứng rắn lên. (Don't look like such a pale-faced scholar; you need to be tougher.)

noun

1. student