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牌

Mandarin · pinyin pái

signboard; plaque; plate; tablet (Classifier: 塊 kuài)
brand; trademark
mahjong tile; domino; playing card (Classifier: 張 zhāng)
(bound form) fixed pattern for lyrics or set melody in classical poetry or music (used in 詞牌 cí pái and 曲牌 qǔ pái)

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Characters in this entry

牌: pái · signboard, placard

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

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Mandarin tones

2 · pai2

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1character link11same-tone records4source references

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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 · 18 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

paai4

Cantonese word readings for 牌. 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

board; plate
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) census plate
signboard; placard; sign; tablet
brand; trademark
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) nameplate
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Name of a type of historical documents delivered to the lower levels.
(card games, mahjong, dominoes) playing cards; cards; dominoes; mahjong; etc. (Classifier: 張／张 m c; 飛／飞 c)
(figurative) card (a resource or an argument, used to achieve a purpose)
(Hong Kong) licence (Classifier: 個／个 c)
list (of prices)
shield
memorial (gateway or building)
pitch (style) of ancient Chinese poetry (ci) or music (qu)
manner; air; shape
(Cantonese) medal (Classifier: 塊／块 c)
(Southern Min) plaque; memorial tablet
(Jilu Mandarin) Classifier for card games: round
a surname, Pai

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

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