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孟子

Mandarin · pinyin Mèng zǐ

Mencius (c. 372-c. 289 BC), Confucian philosopher second only to Confucius
book of the same name, one of the classics of Confucianism

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Characters in this entry

孟: mèng · first in series; great, eminent
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3 · Meng4 zi3

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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 · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

maang6 zi2

Cantonese word readings for 孟子. 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.

name

Mencius (a Chinese philosopher, one of the principal thinkers of Confucianism)
Mencius (one of the Four Books (四書／四书 (Sìshū)) of Confucianism)

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

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