1.
people of old; the ancients; ancient sages
People who lived in the distant past, often viewed as a source of wisdom. Used in literary and reflective contexts, especially when quoting old sayings or comparing the present with the past.
古人の知恵に学ぶ。
Learn from the wisdom of the ancients.
古人いわく、時は金なり。
As the ancients said, time is money.
この言葉は古人が残した教えである。
These words are a teaching left by people of old.
Literary and formal. Appears most often in proverbs, essays, and quotations of classical sayings.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 古人いわく: as the ancients said
- 古人の知恵: wisdom of the ancients
- 古人の教え: teachings of the ancients
- 古人に学ぶ: learn from the ancients
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 昔の人: people of the past — everyday, neutral register
- 先人: predecessors — emphasizes those who came before in a specific tradition or field
- 故人: the deceased — same reading but different meaning; refers to a specific dead person