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便

Mandarin · pinyin biàn#

Mandarin · pinyin pián#

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便: biàn · convenience, ease; expedient

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

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Mandarin tones

4 · bian4

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1character link32same-tone records1source reference

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

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 · 15 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bin2 · bin6 · pin4

Cantonese word readings for 便. 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.

character · Etymology 1

convenient; handy
to go a long way in; to serve the interests of; to benefit; to make convenient
nimble; agile
informal; ordinary; plain
human waste; excretion
(Xiamen and Quanzhou Hokkien) to urinate
soon afterward; as soon as
then
even if; even though

character · Etymology 2

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) quiet and comfortable
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) slim and graceful
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) nimble
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) eloquent
cheap; inexpensive

character · Etymology 3

(Cantonese, no longer productive) Suffix for locational nouns; side

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

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