先輩

See also: 先辈

Chinese

		early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first	contemporaries; generation; lifetime
trad. (先輩)		先	輩
simp. (先辈)		先	辈
alternative forms		賢拜／贤拜 Taiwanese Hokkien with Mandarin based spelling

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiānbèi

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢ ㄅㄟˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sin¹ bui³
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): siên-phi / sên-pái
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sian-pòe / siăn-pái
• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹shi-pe

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiānbèi
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢ ㄅㄟˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sianbèi
    • Wade–Giles: hsien¹-pei⁴
    • Yale: syān-bèi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shianbey
    • Palladius: сяньбэй (sjanʹbɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 先輩／先辈 仙貝／仙贝

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sin¹ bui³
    • Yale: sīn bui
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sin¹ bui³
    • Guangdong Romanization: xin¹ bui³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːn⁵⁵ puːi̯³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: siên-phi / sên-pái
    • Hakka Romanization System: xien^ˊ pi / sen^ˊ bai^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xian¹ pi⁴ / sen¹ bai³
    • Sinological IPA: /si̯en²⁴⁻¹¹ pʰi⁵⁵/, /sen²⁴ pai̯³¹/

Note: sên-pái - from Japanese pronunciation.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sian-pòe
    • Tâi-lô: sian-puè
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sienpoex
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻²² pue²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ pue¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /siɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ pue²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /siɛn³³ pue⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siăn-pái
    • Tâi-lô: sia̋n-pái
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /siɛn³⁵ pai⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /siɛn³⁵ pai⁵³/

Note: siăn-pái - from Japanese pronunciation.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹shi-pe
    • MiniDict: shi^平 pe
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xi-pe
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕi⁵⁵ pe²¹/

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• Middle Chinese: sen pwojH

Rime
Character	先	輩
Reading #	1/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	先 (85)	灰 (42)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	IV	I
Fanqie	蘇前切	補妹切
Baxter	sen	pwojH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sen/	/puʌiH/
Pan Wuyun	/sen/	/puoiH/
Shao Rongfen	/sɛn/	/puɒiH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/sɛn/	/pwəjH/
Li Rong	/sen/	/puᴀiH/
Wang Li	/sien/	/puɒiH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/sien/	/puɑ̆iH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiān	bèi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sin1	bui3

Noun

先輩

1. older generation; senior; elder
2. ancestor; predecessor

Synonyms

• (older generation):

edit

• 上一代 (shàng yīdài)
• 上輩／上辈 (shàngbèi)
• 前輩／前辈 (qiánbèi)
• 老人 (lǎorén)
• 老勻／老匀 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 老輩／老辈 (lǎobèi)
• 長輩／长辈 (zhǎngbèi)

 

• (ancestor):

edit

• 上輩／上辈 (shàngbèi)
• 上輩子／上辈子 (shàngbèizi)
• 先人 (xiānrén)
• 先代 (xiāndài) (literary)
• 先古 (xiāngǔ) (literary)
• 先君 (xiānjūn) (literary)
• 先祖 (xiānzǔ) (literary)
• 公婆 (Hokkien)
• 公媽／公妈 (Min Nan)
• 早勻／早匀 (Xiamen Hokkien)
• 父祖 (fùzǔ) (literary)
• 皇考 (huángkǎo) (archaic)
• 祖上 (zǔshàng)
• 祖先 (zǔxiān)
• 祖宗 (zǔzōng)
• 老祖宗
• 老輩／老辈 (lǎobèi)

 

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “older generation”):

edit

• 下一代 (xià yīdài)
• 下勻／下匀 (Hokkien)
• 下輩／下辈 (xiàbèi)
• 小輩子／小辈子 (xiao³ bei⁴ zi³) (Sichuanese)
• 序細／序细 (Hokkien)
• 後輩／后辈 (hòubèi)
• 晚輩／晚辈 (wǎnbèi)
• 細輩／细辈 (soi³ buê³) (Teochew)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (先輩):

• → Japanese: 先輩(せんぱい) (senpai)
• → Korean: 선배(先輩) (seonbae)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
先	輩
せん Grade: 1	はい > ぱい Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative forms

• (slang) パイセン (paisen)

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 先輩 (MC sen pwojH). Doublet of ソンベ (sonbe).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) せんぱい [sèńpáí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [sẽ̞mpa̠i]

Noun

先(せん)輩(ぱい) • (senpai) 

1. a person who entered one’s school earlier
   1. an upperclassman
   2. an older alumnus (graduate) of one’s school
2. a person who entered one’s workplace earlier; a senior; one who has seniority
3. an elder (one who is older)
4. a person who is higher in social standing or level of education, skill, or experience; a superior

Usage notes

Can be used after a person’s name as an honorific.

Coordinate terms

• 後輩(こうはい) (kōhai)
• 同輩(どうはい) (dōhai)

Derived terms

• 先輩面(せんぱいづら) (senpaizura)

Related terms

• 先生(せんせい) (sensei)

Descendants

• → English: senpai, sempai
• → Hokkien: 先輩／先辈 (in Taiwan)
• → Korean: 센빠이 (senppai)

Korean

Hanja in this term
先	輩

Noun

先輩 • (seonbae) (hangeul 선배)

1. hanja form^? of 선배 (“a senior or elder in an organization; an upperclassman”)