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始祖

Mandarin · pinyin shǐ zǔ

Meanings

  1. primogenitor
  2. founder of a school or trade
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Characters in this entry

始
shǐ · begin, start; then, only then
祖
zǔ · ancestor, forefather; grandfather
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Entries containing 始祖 ↗Words written with 始 ↗Words written with 祖 ↗

Mandarin tones

3–3 · shi3 zu3

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ci2 zou2

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

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

ci2 zou2

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

  1. (literally) earliest ancestor; primogenitor; progenitor
  2. (figuratively) originator; initiator; creator; founder

adj

  1. (attributive) primitive; archaeo-

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

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