noun
great person; hero; mastermind
Refers to a person of outstanding ability, wisdom, or courage, often in historical or leadership contexts. Slightly formal and literary.
彼は戦国時代の英傑として知られている。
He is known as a great hero of the Warring States period.
この会社を築いたのは一代の
The person who built this company was a mastermind of his generation.
Compound of 英 (excellent, outstanding) and 傑 (great person, hero). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has been used to denote a person of exceptional ability since classical Chinese-influenced Japanese.