貧賤

See also: 贫贱

Chinese

		poor	inexpensive; lowly
trad. (貧賤)		貧	賤
simp. (贫贱)		贫	贱

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): pínjiàn

(Zhuyin): ㄆㄧㄣˊ ㄐㄧㄢˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): pan⁴ zin⁶
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): phìn-chhien
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): pîn-chiān / pîn-chian

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: pínjiàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄆㄧㄣˊ ㄐㄧㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: pínjiàn
  - Wade–Giles: pʻin²-chien⁴
  - Yale: pín-jyàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: pynjiann
  - Palladius: пиньцзянь (pinʹczjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰin³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: pan⁴ zin⁶
  - Yale: pàhn jihn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: pan⁴ dzin⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: pen⁴ jin⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰɐn²¹ t͡siːn²²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phìn-chhien
  - Hakka Romanization System: pin^ˇ qien
  - Hagfa Pinyim: pin² qian⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /pʰin¹¹ t͡sʰi̯en⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pîn-chiān
  - Tâi-lô: pîn-tsiān
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pincien
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /pin²⁴⁻²² t͡siɛn²²/
  - Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /pin²⁴⁻²² t͡siɛn⁴¹/
  - Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /pin¹³⁻²² t͡siɛn²²/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pîn-chian
  - Tâi-lô: pîn-tsian
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pinciefn
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /pin²³⁻³³ t͡siɛn⁴⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /pin²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡siɛn⁴⁴/

Middle Chinese: bin dzjenH

Rime
Character	貧	賤
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	並 (3)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	眞 (44)	仙 (77)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	符巾切	才線切
Baxter	bin	dzjenH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/bˠiɪn/	/d͡ziᴇn^H/
Pan Wuyun	/bᵚin/	/d͡ziɛn^H/
Shao Rongfen	/bien/	/d͡zjæn^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/bjin/	/d͡zian^H/
Li Rong	/bjĕn/	/d͡ziɛn^H/
Wang Li	/bǐĕn/	/d͡zĭɛn^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/bʱi̯ĕn/	/d͡zʱi̯ɛn^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	pín	jiàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	pan⁴	zin⁶

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[b]rə[n] [dz][a][n]-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*brɯn zlens/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	貧	賤
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	pín	jiàn
Middle Chinese	‹ bin ›	‹ dzjen^H ›
Old Chinese	/*[b]rə[n]/	/*[dz][a][n]-s/
English	poor	cheap; low, mean
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	貧	賤
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	3140	6008
Phonetic component	分	戔
Rime group	文	元
Rime subdivision	1	2
Corresponding MC rime	貧	賤
Old Chinese	/*brɯn/	/*zlens/

Adjective

貧賤

(literary) poor and lowly
Antonym: 富貴 / 富贵 (fùguì)

Noun

貧賤

(literary) poverty and lowliness; destitution and degradation (the condition of inferiority in both possession and social status)
- 太史公曰：「富貴不違貧賤，貧賤不違富貴。」是謂從富貴為貧賤，從貧賤為富貴也。夫富貴不欲為貧賤，貧賤自至；貧賤不求為富貴，富貴自得也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  太史公曰：「富贵不违贫贱，贫贱不违富贵。」是谓从富贵为贫贱，从贫贱为富贵也。夫富贵不欲为贫贱，贫贱自至；贫贱不求为富贵，富贵自得也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Wang Chong, Lun Heng (Discussive Weighing), 80 CE, translated based on Alfred Forke's version
  Tàishǐgōng yuē: “Fùguì bùwéi pínjiàn, pínjiàn bùwéi fùguì.” Shì wèi cóng fùguì wéi pínjiàn, cóng pínjiàn wéi fùguì yě. Fú fùguì bùyù wéi pínjiàn, pínjiàn zìzhì; pínjiàn bùqiú wéi fùguì, fùguì zìdé yě. [Pinyin]
  [T]he Grand Annalist asserts that wealth and honour do not exclude poverty and meanness, and that the latter do not exclude wealth and honour. That means that opulence and nobility may turn into indigence and humbleness, and that indigence and humbleness may be changed into opulence and nobility. Rich and noble persons do not desire poverty and misery, but poverty and misery may come of themselves, and poor and humble fellows may not strive for wealth and honour, yet wealth and honour fall to their sort spontaneously.

Derived terms

貧賤不能移 / 贫贱不能移 (pínjiànbùnéngyí)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
貧	賤
ひん Grade: 5	せん Hyōgai
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
貧賎

Etymology

From Middle Chinese compound 貧賤 (MC bin dzjenH). Compare modern Mandarin 貧賤／贫贱 (pínjiàn, “poor and lowly”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ひんせん [híꜜǹsèǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
IPA^(key): [çĩɰ̃sẽ̞ɴ]

Adjective

貧(ひん)賤(せん) • (hinsen) -na (adnominal 貧(ひん)賤(せん)な (hinsen na), adverbial 貧(ひん)賤(せん)に (hinsen ni))

poor, lowly, inferior

Inflection

Inflection of 貧賤
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	貧賤だろ	ひんせんだろ	hinsen daro
Continuative (連用形)	貧賤で	ひんせんで	hinsen de
Terminal (終止形)	貧賤だ	ひんせんだ	hinsen da
Attributive (連体形)	貧賤な	ひんせんな	hinsen na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	貧賤なら	ひんせんなら	hinsen nara
Imperative (命令形)	貧賤であれ	ひんせんであれ	hinsen de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	貧賤ではない貧賤じゃない	ひんせんではないひんせんじゃない	hinsen de wa nai hinsen ja nai
Informal past	貧賤だった	ひんせんだった	hinsen datta
Informal negative past	貧賤ではなかった貧賤じゃなかった	ひんせんではなかったひんせんじゃなかった	hinsen de wa nakatta hinsen ja nakatta
Formal	貧賤です	ひんせんです	hinsen desu
Formal negative	貧賤ではありません貧賤じゃありません	ひんせんではありませんひんせんじゃありません	hinsen de wa arimasen hinsen ja arimasen
Formal past	貧賤でした	ひんせんでした	hinsen deshita
Formal negative past	貧賤ではありませんでした貧賤じゃありませんでした	ひんせんではありませんでしたひんせんじゃありませんでした	hinsen de wa arimasen deshita hinsen ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	貧賤で	ひんせんで	hinsen de
Conditional	貧賤なら（ば）	ひんせんなら（ば）	hinsen nara (ba)
Provisional	貧賤だったら	ひんせんだったら	hinsen dattara
Volitional	貧賤だろう	ひんせんだろう	hinsen darō
Adverbial	貧賤に	ひんせんに	hinsen ni
Degree	貧賤さ	ひんせんさ	hinsensa

Antonyms

富貴(ふうき) (fūki): wealthy and noble

Noun

貧(ひん)賤(せん) • (hinsen)

poverty and inferiority

References

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

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

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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