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應該

简应该 · 繁應該

Mandarin · pinyin yīng gāi

ought to; should; must

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Characters in this entry

應: yīng · should, ought to, must
該: gāi · should, ought to, need to
应: yīng · should, ought to, must
该: gāi · should, ought to, need to

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1 · ying1 gai1

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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 · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jing1 goi1

Cantonese word readings for 應該. 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.

verb

ought to; should (used as an auxiliary verb)
theoretically should [be]
(Taiwanese Hokkien) to deserve it; serve someone right

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

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