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待

Mandarin · pinyin dāi#

to stay; to remain

Mandarin · pinyin dài#

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待: dài · treat, entertain, receive; wait

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · dai1

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1character link6same-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 · 7 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

daai1 · doi6

Cantonese word readings for 待. 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 · Etymology 1

to wait for; to await; to expect
to need; to depend on
to be about to; to intend to
to treat; to entertain; to receive; to handle
to prepare for
a surname

character · Etymology 2

to stay

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

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