文質彬彬

See also: 文质彬彬

Chinese

			refined, gentle and elegant; having both literary flourish and substance
trad. (文質彬彬)		文質	彬彬
simp. (文质彬彬)		文质	彬彬

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 6 (《論語·雍也》):

子曰：「質勝文則野，文勝質則史。文質彬彬，然後君子。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

子曰：「质胜文则野，文胜质则史。文质彬彬，然后君子。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐyuē: “Zhì shèng wén zé yě, wén shèng zhì zé shǐ. Wén zhì bīnbīn, ránhòu jūnzǐ.” [Pinyin]

The Master said, "Where the solid qualities are in excess of accomplishments, we have rusticity; where the accomplishments are in excess of the solid qualities, we have the manners of a clerk. When the accomplishments and solid qualities are equally blended, we then have the man of virtue."

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wénzhìbīnbīn, wénzhíbīnbīn

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄣˊ ㄓˋ ㄅㄧㄣㄅㄧㄣ, ㄨㄣˊ ㄓˊ ㄅㄧㄣㄅㄧㄣ
Cantonese (Jyutping): man⁴ zat¹ ban¹ ban¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): vùn-chṳt-pîn-pîn

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wénzhìbīnbīn
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄣˊ ㄓˋ ㄅㄧㄣㄅㄧㄣ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wúnjhìhbinbin
  - Wade–Giles: wên²-chih⁴-pin¹-pin¹
  - Yale: wén-jr̀-bīn-bīn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wenjyhbinbin
  - Palladius: вэньчжибиньбинь (vɛnʹčžibinʹbinʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ pin⁵⁵ pin⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wénzhíbīnbīn
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄣˊ ㄓˊ ㄅㄧㄣㄅㄧㄣ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wúnjhíhbinbin
  - Wade–Giles: wên²-chih²-pin¹-pin¹
  - Yale: wén-jŕ-bīn-bīn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wenjyrbinbin
  - Palladius: вэньчжибиньбинь (vɛnʹčžibinʹbinʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩³⁵ pin⁵⁵ pin⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: man⁴ zat¹ ban¹ ban¹
  - Yale: màhn jāt bān bān
  - Cantonese Pinyin: man⁴ dzat⁷ ban¹ ban¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: men⁴ zed¹ ben¹ ben¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɐn²¹ t͡sɐt̚⁵ pɐn⁵⁵ pɐn⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vùn-chṳt-pîn-pîn
  - Hakka Romanization System: vun^ˇ ziid^ˋ bin^ˊ bin^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: vun² zid⁵ bin¹ bin¹
  - Sinological IPA: /vun¹¹ t͡sɨt̚² pin²⁴⁻¹¹ pin²⁴/

Idiom

文質彬彬

gentle; refined in manner
- 革命不是請客吃飯，不是做文章，不是繪畫繡花，不能那樣雅致，那樣從容不迫，文質彬彬，那樣溫良恭儉讓。革命是暴動，是一個階級推翻一個階級的暴烈行動。 [MSC, trad.]
  革命不是请客吃饭，不是做文章，不是绘画绣花，不能那样雅致，那样从容不迫，文质彬彬，那样温良恭俭让。革命是暴动，是一个阶级推翻一个阶级的暴烈行动。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1927, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《湖南農民運動考察報告》 (Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition
  Gémìng bùshì qǐngkè chīfàn, bùshì zuòwénzhāng, bùshì huìhuà xiùhuā, bùnéng nàyàng yǎzhì, nàyàng cóngróngbùpò, wénzhìbīnbīn, nàyàng wēnliánggōngjiǎnràng. Gémìng shì bàodòng, shì yī ge jiējí tuīfān yī ge jiējí de bàoliè xíngdòng. [Pinyin]
  [A] revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.
(literary, originally) well balanced between literary talent and simplicity; displaying literary talent yet not frivolous

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (文質彬彬):

→ Japanese: 文質彬彬(ぶんしつひんぴん) (bunshitsu hinpin)
→ Korean: 문질빈빈(文質彬彬) (munjilbinbin)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
文	質	彬	彬
ぶん Grade: 1	しつ Grade: 5	ひん Jinmeiyō	ひん > ぴん Jinmeiyō
kan'on

Etymology

From the Analects of Confucius.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Analyzable as 文質 (bunshitsu, “civilized sophistication and simplicity”) + 彬彬 (hinpin, “harmonized, well-proportioned, well-balanced”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ぶんしつひんぴん [bùńshítsú híꜜǹpìǹ] (Nakadaka – [5])^[2]
IPA^(key): [bɯ̟̃ɰ̃ɕit͡sɨ çĩmpʲĩɴ]

Idiom

文(ぶん)質(しつ)彬(ひん)彬(ぴん) • (bunshitsu hinpin)

the outer beauty and the inner quality are well-harmonized

Adjective

文(ぶん)質(しつ)彬(ひん)彬(ぴん) • (bunshitsu hinpin) ^†-tari (adnominal 文(ぶん)質(しつ)彬(ひん)彬(ぴん)とした (bunshitsu hinpin to shita) or 文(ぶん)質(しつ)彬(ひん)彬(ぴん)たる (bunshitsu hinpin taru), adverbial 文(ぶん)質(しつ)彬(ひん)彬(ぴん)と (bunshitsu hinpin to) or 文(ぶん)質(しつ)彬(ひん)彬(ぴん)として (bunshitsu hinpin to shite))

refined in manner, exhibiting a balance between civilized sophistication and simplicity

Conjugation

Classical conjugation of "文質彬彬たり" (タリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	文質彬彬たら	ぶんしつひんぴんたら	bunsitu finpintara
Continuative (連用形)	文質彬彬と^[1] 文質彬彬たり^[2]	ぶんしつひんぴんとぶんしつひんぴんたり	bunsitu finpinto bunsitu finpintari
Terminal (終止形)	文質彬彬たり	ぶんしつひんぴんたり	bunsitu finpintari
Attributive (連体形)	文質彬彬たる	ぶんしつひんぴんたる	bunsitu finpintaru
Realis (已然形)	文質彬彬たれ	ぶんしつひんぴんたれ	bunsitu finpintare
Imperative (命令形)	文質彬彬たれ	ぶんしつひんぴんたれ	bunsitu finpintare
Key constructions
Negative	文質彬彬たらず	ぶんしつひんぴんたらず	bunsitu finpintarazu
Contrasting conjunction	文質彬彬たれど	ぶんしつひんぴんたれど	bunsitu finpintaredo
Causal conjunction	文質彬彬たれば	ぶんしつひんぴんたれば	bunsitu finpintareba
Conditional conjunction	文質彬彬たらば	ぶんしつひんぴんたらば	bunsitu finpintaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	文質彬彬たりき	ぶんしつひんぴんたりき	bunsitu finpintariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	文質彬彬たりけり	ぶんしつひんぴんたりけり	bunsitu finpintarikeri
Adverbial	文質彬彬と	ぶんしつひんぴんと	bunsitu finpinto

^[1]Without auxiliary verb.
^[2]With auxiliary verb.

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

“文質^▲彬^▲彬”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

Korean

Hanja in this term
文	質	彬	彬

Noun

文質彬彬 • (munjilbinbin) (hangeul 문질빈빈)

hanja form^? of 문질빈빈 (“the outer beauty and the inner quality are well-harmonized”)

[1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ-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]

[3]