young nobleman; son of a noble
Refers to a young man of noble birth, often the son of a lord or high-ranking aristocrat. Used in historical or literary contexts.
He was raised as the young nobleman of a distinguished family.
The protagonist of the story was a young nobleman from a neighboring country.
王子 means specifically a king's or emperor's son (a prince), while 公子 more broadly refers to the son of any noble or lord, not necessarily royalty.
counter for people
young nobleman; scion of a noble family · princely young man; man with an aristocratic air
From Chinese 公子 (gōngzǐ), meaning 'son of a feudal lord or high official'. The characters 公 (public, duke) and 子 (child) combine to indicate a noble offspring.