小人
xiǎo rén · HSK 7
nasty person
🧒 小人 = small (小) + person (人); a small/petty person, or a humble I
Literally a small person: historically someone of low rank, then a humble word for oneself (your humble servant), and figuratively a petty or nasty person, the opposite of 君子 a gentleman.
小 — three small strokes around a central vertical
小 is a pictograph originally showing three tiny dots or specks, suggesting small particles or grains. Over time the dots became stylized strokes flanking a central line. The core meaning 'small' has stayed remarkably stable from oracle bone script to today.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.