賢人|けんじんkenjin[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounwise person; virtuous person; sage
   賢人けんじんいわく、人生じんせいは失望しつぼうの連続れんぞくである。↗

   Some wise man has said life consists of one disappointment after another.
2. noununrefined sake

• Synonym賢者けんじゃNeutralNeutral; a wise person, used in ordinary contexts and in fantasy, as in 「賢者の石」. 「賢人」 is more literary and classical.
• Synonym聖人せいじんWrittenWritten/formal; one whose virtue is supreme, a teacher for all ages, such as Confucius. 「賢人」 stands one rank below such a saint.
• Synonym哲人てつじんWrittenWritten/formal; a philosopher or a person of lofty insight, as in 「哲人ソクラテス」. 「賢人」 stresses wisdom.
• Related聖者せいじゃWrittenWritten/formal; a saint, including Christian saints, as in 「聖者の行進」. 「賢人」 points to a person of wisdom and virtue, not sainthood.
• Related知者ちしゃWrittenWritten/formal; a person of outstanding wisdom, or a Buddha or bodhisattva. 「賢人」 stresses wisdom paired with virtue.
• Related聖哲せいてつWrittenWritten/formal; a sage eminent in both wisdom and virtue. 「賢人」 stresses wisdom and ranks below the saints.
• Related賢哲けんてつWrittenWritten/formal; a sage of deep wisdom and sound judgment. 「賢人」 stresses wisdom joined with virtue.
• Antonym愚人ぐじんWrittenWritten/formal; a foolish person, the counterpart of 「賢人」 on the scale of wise versus foolish.
• Antonym愚者ぐしゃNeutralNeutral; a fool, also the Fool of the tarot. The counterpart of 「賢人」 in the contrast between wisdom and folly.

Use 「賢人」 for a person wise and virtuous yet second to a saint, as in 「竹林の七賢人」. For the simply wise pick 「賢者」 or 「知者」, for saints 「聖人」, for philosophers 「哲人」; the opposites are 「愚者」 and 「愚人」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 賢かしこい人ひと。賢者けんじゃ。
2. 聖人せいじんに次ついで徳とくがある人ひと。
3. 濁り酒にごりざけ。同様どうように清酒せいしゅは「聖人せいじん」と呼よばれる。