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祖

Mandarin · pinyin zǔ#

ancestor
forefather
grandparents

Mandarin · pinyin Zǔ#

surname Zu

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祖: zǔ · ancestor, forefather; grandfather

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

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Mandarin tones

3 · zu3

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1character link12same-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 · 9 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zou2

Cantonese word readings for 祖. 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

ancestor; forebear; forefather
ancestor; forebear; forefather — One of the two suffixes of emperors' temple names.
grandparent; grandfather or grandmother
founder
(literary) to follow the example of; to pattern after
(Internet slang, usually passive voice) to ban someone on Facebook; to Zucc
a surname, Zu
(Cantonese) a transliteration of the English male given name Joe
(literary) penis

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

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