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堪

Mandarin · pinyin kān

(bound form) may; can
(bound form) to endure; to bear
(in 堪輿 kān yú) heaven (contrasted with earth 輿 yú)

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堪: kān · adequately capable of, worthy of

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · kan1

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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 · 4 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ham1

Cantonese word readings for 堪. 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

may; can; to be capable of; to be able to
to bear; to stand; to resist; to endure
(obsolete) protrusion in the earth
Used in transcription.

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

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