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圓缺

简圆缺 · 繁圓缺

Mandarin · pinyin yuán quē

waxing and waning (of the moon)

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Characters in this entry

圓: yuán · circle; round, circular; complete
缺: quē · be short of, lack; gap, deficit
圆: yuán · circle; round, circular; complete

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1 · yuan2 que1

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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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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

(of the Moon) to wax and wane

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

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