Whether one is speaking of an "intellectual" (a word that comes to English via the French), the Russian word "intelligentsia," or the Chinese "scholar-knight," all who would be so described must first build a foundation of knowledge.
綜觀「知識分子」一詞的起源與演進，不論是從俄文翻譯過來的「知識階層」(intelligentsia)，或源自法文的「批判的文人」(intellectuel)，或中國傳統的「士」，都必須先以「知識」當作基礎。