系 is also the simplified spelling of 係, 繫.

系

Mandarin · pinyin xì

Meanings

  1. system
  2. department
  3. faculty
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Characters in this entry

系
xì · system; line, link, connection
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4 · xi4

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1character link52same-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 Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hai6

Cantonese word readings for 系. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

character · Etymology 1

  1. department; faculty
  2. system
  3. to belong to; to be part of; to fall under; to be categorised as; to be classified as
  4. (historical) warlord clique (only used in compounds.)

character · Etymology 1

  1. (historical dictionaries only) chopsticks

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack