| 小人 |
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xiǎo rén ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ (1): 地位低下的人。 Commoner.
| 《·》: | 子曰：「唯女子與小人為難養也，近之則不孫，遠之則怨。」 | | The Master said, "Of all people, girls and servants are the most difficult to behave to. If you are familiar with them, they lose their humility. If you maintain a reserve towards them, they are discontented." | | 《·》: | 有大人之事，有小人之事。 | | Great men have their proper business, and little men have their proper business. |
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xiǎo rén ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ (2): 無道德的人，與「君子」相對。 A mean man, a man with no morals.
| 《·》: | 應之曰：「古者羿作弓，伃作甲，奚仲作車，巧垂作舟，然則今之鮑函車匠皆君子也，而羿、伃、奚仲、巧垂皆小人邪？」 | | We answer him: In antiquity Yi invented the bow, Yu invented armour, Xi Zhong invented vehicles, and Qiao Cui invented boats. Would he say, the tanners, armourers, and carpenters of to-day are all superior men, whereas Yi, Yu, Xi Zhong, and Qiao Cui were all ordinary men? | | 《·》: | 子曰：「君子周而不比，小人比而不周。」 | | The Master said, "The superior man is catholic and not partisan. The mean man is partisan and not catholic." | | 《·》: | 尹士聞之曰：「士誠小人也。」 | | When Yin Shi heard this explanation, he said, 'I am indeed a small man.' | | 《·》: | 君子小人之反也：君子大心則敬天而道，小心則畏義而節。 |
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xiǎo rén ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ (3): 對地位高於自己或平輩自稱德謙辭。 Humble way of referring to oneself used when speaker to a superior.
| 《》: | 食舍肉，公問之，對曰：「小人有母，皆嘗小人之食矣，未嘗君之羹。」 |
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