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硬

Mandarin · pinyin yìng

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硬: yìng · hard, firm, strong; obstinate

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

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Mandarin tones

4 · ying4

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1character link8same-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 · 10 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngaang6

Cantonese word readings for 硬. 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

hard (resistant to pressure)
stiff; inflexible
tough; strong; firm
good (in terms of quality or ability); able (of a person)
obstinately; with difficulty; forcibly; resolutely
(Cantonese, Teochew) certainly; definitely; of course
(Hokkien) arduous; formidable; onerous
(Huizhou) thick; viscous
(slang) to become hard; to have an erection

character · Etymology 2

(Eastern Min, derogatory, of a person) to die; to croak

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

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