古人 gǔrén people of ancient times
people of ancient times; the ancients; extinct human species such as Homo erectus or Homo neanderthalensis; (literary) deceased person
How to remember 古人: 古 old + 人 person = people of ancient times.
Characters
How it is used
- The ancients, people of long ago - 古人云 (gǔrén yún) 'as the ancients said,' a set lead-in to quoting old wisdom.
- Contrasts with 今人 (jīnrén, people of today); used when drawing on tradition or classical sayings.