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爾雅

简尔雅 · 繁爾雅

Mandarin · pinyin Ěr yǎ

"Erya" or "The Ready Guide", first extant Chinese dictionary, c. 3rd century BC, with glossaries on classical texts

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Characters in this entry

爾: Look up this written character
雅: yǎ · elegant, graceful, refined
尔: ěr · you; that, those; final particle

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3 · Er3 ya3

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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.

爾雅 · find source passages ↗ · 尔雅 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

name

Erya (the oldest surviving Chinese dictionary or Chinese encyclopedia known)

adj

(literary) standard; correct
(literary) upright; righteous
(literary) elegant; gentle; refined; cultured

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

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