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偵探

简侦探 · 繁偵探

Mandarin · pinyin zhēn tàn

detective
to do detective work

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Characters in this entry

偵: Look up this written character
探: tàn · find, locate; search, grope for
侦: zhēn · spy, reconnoiter; detective

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4 · zhen1 tan4

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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.

偵探 · find source passages ↗ · 侦探 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zing1 taam3

Cantonese word readings for 偵探. 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.

noun

detective

verb

to do detective work

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack