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沿

Mandarin · pinyin yán

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沿: yán · follow a course, go along

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

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Mandarin tones

2 · yan2

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1character link57same-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 · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jyun4

Cantonese word readings for 沿. 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 follow a course
along (a certain route)
to follow (an old practice or tradition)
edge; border; trim
to trim (with tape, ribbon, etc.)
(Taiwanese Hokkien) seniority among generations in a family or clan; position in the family hierarchy
(Taiwanese Hokkien) Classifier for stacked, overlapping, or accumulated items.

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

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