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Definition 2024

奴才

奴才

Chinese

		slave	ability; talent; endowment ability; talent; endowment; gift; an expert; only (then); only if; just
simp. and trad. (奴才)		奴	才

Noun

奴才

lackey; minion; slave; flunkey

Usage notes

During the Ming and Qing dynasties 奴才 was also used by court eunuchs and officials when addressing the emperor as a term of self-reference.

Pronunciation

Mandarin

(Pinyin): núcái

(Zhuyin): ㄋㄨˊ ㄘㄞˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): nou⁴ coi⁴
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): nù-chhòi / nùng-chhòi
Min Nan

(Hokkien, POJ): lô͘-châi

(Teochew, Peng'im): nou⁵ cai⁵

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
  - Pinyin: núcái → núcai (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄨˊ ㄘㄞˊ → ㄋㄨˊ ㄘㄞ˙ (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nu.tsair
  - IPA ^(key): /nu³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵/ → /nu³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯³/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: nou⁴ coi⁴
  - Yale: nòuh chòih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: nou⁴ tsoi⁴
  - IPA ^(key): /nou̯²¹ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: nù-chhòi / nùng-chhòi
  - Hakka Romanization System: nuˇ coiˇ / nungˇ coiˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: nu² coi² / nung² coi²
  - IPA: /nu¹¹ t͡sʰo̯i¹¹/, /nuŋ¹¹ t͡sʰo̯i¹¹/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lô͘-châi
  - Tâi-lô: lôo-tsâi
  - Phofsit Daibuun: lozaai
  - IPA (Xiamen): /lɔ²⁴⁻²² t͡saɪ²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /lɔ²⁴⁻²² t͡saɪ²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /lɔ¹³⁻²² t͡saɪ¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /lɔ²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡saɪ²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /lɔ²³⁻³³ t͡saɪ²³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: nou⁵ cai⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: nôu tshâi
  - IPA ^(key): /nou⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sʰai⁵⁵/