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上弦

Mandarin · pinyin shàng xián

to wind up a watch, clockwork toy etc
to tighten the string of a bow, violin etc
first quarter (phase of the moon)

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Characters in this entry

上: shàng · top; superior, highest; go up, send up
弦: xián · string; hypotenuse, crescent

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–2 · shang4 xian2

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

soeng5 jin4 · soeng6 jin4

Cantonese word readings for 上弦. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to wind up a clock or watch

noun

first quarter (of the moon)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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