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端緒

简端绪 · 繁端緒

Mandarin · pinyin duān xù

start and development
thread (of a story)
general outline
clue

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Characters in this entry

端: duān · end, extreme; head; beginning
緒: Look up this written character
绪: xù · end of thread; thread, clue

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4 · duan1 xu4

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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.

端緒 · find source passages ↗ · 端绪 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

(literary) inkling; clue

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

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