終而復始

简 终而复始 · 繁 終而復始
Mandarin · pinyin zhōng ér fù shǐ

Meanings

  1. lit. the end comes back to the start (idiom); the wheel comes full circle
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

終
Look up this written character
而
ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
復
Look up this written character
始
shǐ · begin, start; then, only then
终
zhōng · end; finally, in the end
复
fù · return; repeat; repeatedly
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–2–4–3 · zhong1 er2 fu4 shi3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.
Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zung1 ji4 fuk6 ci2

Cantonese word readings for 終而復始. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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

zung1 ji4 fuk6 ci2

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

終而復始 · zhong1 er2 fu4 shi3
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 85,528
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record終而復始 终而复始 [zhong1 er2 fu4 shi3] /lit. the end comes back to the start (idiom); the wheel comes full circle/