Chinese

Noun

神人

1. (literary) the gods
2. (literary) gods and humans

Japanese

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese compound 神人 ‎(*jhin *njin). The goon reading, so likely the initial borrowing.

Replaced by the jinin reading.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• じんにん (Heiban)^[1]
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑĩnnĩɴ]

Noun

神人 ‎(hiragana じんにん, romaji jinnin)

1. (archaic) a low-ranking position at a shrine, helping to conduct the yearly ceremonies and patrolling the grounds, among other responsibilities

Etymology 2

/d͡ʑinnin/ → /d͡ʑinin/

Change in pronunciation from jinnin. Now the more common reading.^[2][1]

Pronunciation

• Kan'yōyomi
• じにん (Heiban)
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑinĩɴ]

Noun

神人 ‎(hiragana じにん, romaji jinin)

1. from the Heian period through the Muromachi period, a low-ranking position at a shrine, helping to conduct the yearly ceremonies and patrolling the grounds, among other responsibilities

   In the late Heian period, the jinin position was useful for the protection offered by shrine authority, and mass demonstrations were held to press for various governmental changes, much as were held by Buddhist monks. Starting from the Kamakura period, lay people such as merchants or performers would subordinate to a shrine as jinin for purposes of exemption from various taxes or corvee labor requirements.^[1][2]

Etymology 3

From Middle Chinese compound 神人 ‎(*jhin *njin). The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• しんじん (Heiban)^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ɕĩnd͡ʑĩɴ]

Noun

神人 ‎(hiragana しんじん, romaji shinjin)

1. gods and humans
2. a person of god-like nobility
3. a person with mystical or god-like power
4. (shinto) alternate for jinin above: a low-ranking position at a shrine, helping to conduct the yearly ceremonies and patrolling the grounds, among other responsibilities

Derived terms

• 神人同形説 (しんじんどうけいせつ) ‎(shinjin dōkei setsu): a belief or perspective that applies human or human-like qualities to gods and/or spirits, as a kind of personification

Proper noun

神人 ‎(hiragana しんじん, romaji Shinjin)

1. (Christianity) Jesus, Jesus Christ

Etymology 4

Compound of 神 ‎(kami, “god, spirit”) +‎ 人 ‎(hito, “person”).^[2]The hito changes to bito as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [ka̠mibito̞]

Noun

神人 ‎(hiragana かみびと, romaji kamibito)

1. (archaic, Shintō) a priest
   • c. 1001–1014, Genji Monogatari (text here):

     神人の手に取りもたる榊葉に / 木綿かけ添ふる深き夜の霜

     かみびとのてにとりもたるさかきばに / ゆふかけそふるふかきよのしも

     Kamibito no te ni torimotaru sakakiba ni / yufu kake sofuru fukaki yo no shimo

     The deep night's frost accompanies the ceremonial ties / on the sakaki leaves held in the hands of the priests

References

1. 1 2 3 4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
2. 1 2 3 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan