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茈

Mandarin · pinyin cí#

used in 鳧茈 fú cí

Mandarin · pinyin zǐ#

Common Gromwell or European stoneseed (Lithospermum officinale)

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茈: cí · zǐ · comfrey; a plant yielding a purple dye

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

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Mandarin tones

2 · ci2

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1character link27same-tone records1source reference

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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 · 7 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

caai4 · ci4 · zi2

Cantonese word readings for 茈. 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 · Etymology 1

gromwell
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 紫 (zǐ, “purple”)

character · Etymology 2

only used in 鳧茈／凫茈 (fúcí)

character · Etymology 3

only used in 茈胡 and 茈施

character · Etymology 4

only used in 茈虒

character · Etymology 5

(Hokkien) immature; young and small
(Hokkien) lacking in experience; immature

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

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