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沾

Mandarin · pinyin zhān

to moisten
to be infected by
to receive benefit or advantage through a contact
to touch

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沾: zhān · moisten, wet, soak; touch

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · zhan1

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1character link30same-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 · 12 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

tip3 · zim1

Cantonese word readings for 沾. 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

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) abundant; overflowing; brimming
to soak; to moisten
to share in (a benefit); to benefit through association
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to influence; to edify
to be stained with; to be contaminated by
to touch; to come into contact with
(dialectal) to be good; to be okay

character · Etymology 2

(～水) an ancient river that flows from Huguan County, Shanxi into the Qi (淇) River in Henan, China

character · Etymology 3

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 添 (tiān, “to increase”)
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) thin

character · Etymology 4

(～水) an ancient river flowing from Xiyang County, Shanxi into Ye (冶) River in Hebei
(～縣) (historical) a county in the Han dynasty southwest of Xiyang County

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

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