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楚楚可憐

简 楚楚可怜 · 繁 楚楚可憐
Mandarin · pinyin chǔ chǔ kě lián

Meanings

  1. (idiom) pitiable; sweet, innocent and vulnerable
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Characters in this entry

楚
chǔ · name of feudal state; clear
可
kě · may, can, -able; possibly
憐
Look up this written character
怜
lián · pity, sympathize
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Entries containing 楚楚可憐 ↗Words written with 楚 ↗Words written with 可 ↗Words written with 憐 ↗Words written with 怜 ↗

Mandarin tones

3–3–3–2 · chu3 chu3 ke3 lian2

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

  1. (of young women) delicate and charming
  2. (idiomatic) sad and pitiable

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

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