DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

肯定

Mandarin · pinyin kěn dìng

to be certain; to be positive
assuredly; definitely
to give recognition; to affirm
affirmative (answer)

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Characters in this entry

肯: kěn · willing; consent to, permit
定: dìng · decide, settle, fix

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4 · ken3 ding4

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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 · 6 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hang2 ding6

Cantonese word readings for 肯定. 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.

adj

(attributive) certain; affirmative; positive
fixed; certain; sure

adv

surely; definitely; must be

verb

to approve; to confirm; to affirm
to be certain

noun

approval; validation; affirmation

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

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