also: そんふうし
rural scholar; country pedant
Refers to a scholar or teacher from the countryside, often with a nuance of being narrow-minded or pedantic. Sometimes used derogatorily.
With the air of a rural pedant, he looked down on the city scholars.
That country scholar clung to old teachings and refused to accept new ideas.
Standard kanji spelling. The reading そんぷうし is the most common; そんふうし is a less frequent variant.
Alternate reading. Less common than そんぷうし.
Compound of 村 (village) and 夫子 (scholar, master). The term likely originated in a context where rural scholars were seen as less sophisticated than their urban counterparts.