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或

Mandarin · pinyin huò

maybe
perhaps
might
possibly
or

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或: huò · or, either, else; perhaps, maybe

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

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Mandarin tones

4 · huo4

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1character link41same-tone records

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

waak6

Cantonese word readings for 或. 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

or; either ... or ... (used to list alternatives)
(literary, including in news headlines) perhaps; maybe
occasionally; sometimes
if; assuming; should ...
(logic, computing) OR; inclusive or
particle used in negative sentences to reinforce the negative tone
(literary) some; someone; something

character · Etymology 2

(Ancient, alt-of) Ancient form of 惑 (huò, “doubt”)
original form of 域 (yù, “range; territory”)
original form of 國／国 (guó, “country”)

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

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