서인

Korean

Etymology 1

Sino-Korean word from 庶人, from 庶 (“ordinary”) + 人 (“person”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈsʰɘ(ː)in]
• Phonetic hangul: [서(ː)인]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	seoin
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	seoin
McCune–Reischauer?	sŏin
Yale Romanization?	sēin

Noun

서인 • (seoin) (hanja 庶人)

1. (historical) in dynastic East Asia, a commoner without royal or aristocratic privileges

   세자를 폐하여 서인으로 삼아라.

   seja-reul pyehayeo seoin-euro samara.

   Have the Crown Prince removed from his rank and render him into a commoner.

Etymology 2

Sino-Korean word from 西人, from 西 (“West”) + 人 (“person”).

The political faction was named as such because they were initially the supporters of the royal in-law Sim Ui-gyeom, who lived in the western part of Seoul.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹in]
• Phonetic hangul: [서인]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	seoin
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	seoin
McCune–Reischauer?	sŏin
Yale Romanization?	sein

Noun

서인 • (seoin) (hanja 西人)

1. (rare) Westerner

   Synonym: 서양인(西洋人)

Proper noun

서인 • (Seoin) (hanja 西人)

1. (historical) a political faction in the Korean court which emerged in a dispute over the appropriate powers of royal in-laws in the 1570s, and which held power for most of the seventeenth century

   Hypernym: 붕당(朋黨)

   Hyponyms: 노론(老論), 소론(少論)

   Coordinate terms: 동인(東人), 남인(南人), 북인(北人)

Etymology 3

Nativisation of the Sino-Korean term 성인 (聖人, seong'in, “saint, sage”).

Noun

서인 • (seoin)

1. Gyeongsang and Hamgyong form of 성인(聖人) (“saint, sage”)
2. (Hamgyong) a holy Buddhist priest, a supernaturally potent priest