DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
客官
Mandarin · pinyin kè guān
Meanings
- (old) polite form of address for a customer or guest
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Mandarin tones
4–1 · ke4 guan1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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2character links1same-tone record
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.
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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.
noun
- A respectful form of address to the customer or guest, especially during the Early Modern Chinese period: sir; madam
- (Leizhou Min, dated, specifically) brothel patron
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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