列祖列宗

Mandarin · pinyin liè zǔ liè zōng

Meanings

  1. (idiom) one's ancestors through the generations
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Characters in this entry

列
liè · a line; to arrange in order, classify
祖
zǔ · ancestor, forefather; grandfather
宗
zōng · lineage, ancestry; ancestor, clan
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–3–4–1 · lie4 zu3 lie4 zong1

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lit6 zou2 lit6 zung1

Cantonese word readings for 列祖列宗. 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.

phrase

  1. (idiomatic) ancestors; forefathers

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

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