古人

• 병음: gǔ rén
• 한자 분석: 古 = 十 (ten) + 口 (mouth) — what ten generations have spoken of, hence ancient; 人 = a person shown in profile — human beings, people

뜻

옛사람들; 고대의 사람들

古人 is often used in a deferential or reflective tone, evoking the accumulated wisdom of historical predecessors. The phrases 古人云 (the ancients said) and 古人有言 (as the ancients put it) are standard ways of introducing classical quotations or proverbs. Contrasted with 今人 (people of today). Occasionally used with gentle humour to describe someone as hopelessly old-fashioned.

예문

1. 古人云：读万卷书，行万里路，这一治学之道至今仍对年轻学子有深刻的启迪意义。
2. 今人的科技成就固然令人叹服，但古人在极其有限的条件下所展现的智慧与创造力同样值得敬仰。
3. 研究古代文学，不仅要读懂文字，更要理解古人当时的生活环境、思想观念和精神世界。

사용 가이드

맥락: history, philosophy, classical literature, Confucian thought, cultural reflection

어조: reverent

올바른 표현

• 古人在没有现代测量工具的情况下，仅凭观测天象便能精确推算历法，其智慧令今人叹为观止。(The ancients, without modern measuring instruments, were able to calculate the calendar with precision through astronomical observation alone — their wisdom leaves people today in awe.)
• 我们研究古人的思想并非要复古守旧，而是从中汲取对当代问题有借鉴价值的智慧与启示。(We study the thought of the ancients not to revive the past or cling to the old, but to draw from it wisdom and insight of reference value for contemporary problems.)

피해야 할 표현

• 将'古人'泛指所有较早时代的历史人物 — 古人 most naturally refers to people of the remote classical past (pre-modern eras); for figures from the more recent past use 前人 or 先辈 instead

기원과 역사

古 (ancient; long past) + 人 (person; people). Together: people of ancient times — historical predecessors whose wisdom and deeds have endured.

문화적 배경

세대: All ages

사회적 배경: Educated speakers