xiucai means in ancient China, a scholar who has passed the entry-level examination to study at a college. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
xiucai is pronounced /ʃjoʊˈtsaɪ/.
Why “xiucai” is a great word
XIŪCAI — [Noun] In imperial China, a scholar who had passed the county-level imperial examination, qualifying him for official studies and candidacy for government service. The word is a transliteration from Mandarin 秀才 (xiùcái), from 秀 (xiù, "elegant, refined") + 才 (cái, "talent, ability"). Unlike a *jinshi*, who scaled the highest palace exam for immediate high office, or the broad *literati*, a class of learned men without formal credential, the *xiucai* bore the specific, fragile title of the entry-level degree—a promise, not yet a position. It is the scent of cheap ink in a provincial examination hall, the frayed cuff of a scholar’s robe worn with new pride, and the weight of a family’s hopes condensed into a single, precarious credential. It is the dignity found in a beginning, however distant the end.
noun
- In ancient China, a scholar who has passed the entry-level examination to study at a college.“The author of The Compendium of Materia Medica was Li Shih-chen (1518-93), a pioneering scholar in the field of medicinal research in the late Ming. A native of Ch’i-chou in Hukuang (modern Ch’i-ch’un in Hupei), Li Shih-chen achieved the first-degree hsiu-ts'ai in 1531, but gave up obtaining the second-degree chü-jen after three unsuccessful attempts between 1534 and 1540.”