DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

壇

简坛 · 繁壇

Mandarin · pinyin tán

altar
platform; rostrum
(bound form) (sporting, literary etc) circles; world

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

壇: Look up this written character
坛: tán · altar; arena, examination hall

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2 · tan2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link45same-tone records

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

壇 · find source passages ↗ · 坛 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 5 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

taan4

Cantonese word readings for 壇. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

character

altar (Classifier: 座)
raised plot of land for planting flowers, etc.
forum; place for giving lectures or speeches
circles
(Cantonese) Classifier for affairs or matters.

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

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