守

Mandarin · pinyin shǒu

Meanings

  1. to guard
  2. to defend
  3. to keep watch
  4. to abide by the law
  5. to observe (rules or ritual)
  6. nearby
  7. adjoining
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Characters in this entry

守
shǒu · defend, protect, guard, conserve
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3 · shou3

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1character link9same-tone records
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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 · 6 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sau2 · sau3

Cantonese word readings for 守. 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

  1. to keep; to maintain; to preserve
  2. to abide by; to follow; to comply with
  3. to defend; to protect; to keep watch
  4. to approach; to come closer; to draw near
  5. 57th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "guardedness" (𝌾)
  6. a surname

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

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