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還是

简还是 · 繁還是

Mandarin · pinyin hái shi

still (as before)
had better
unexpectedly
or

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Characters in this entry

還: hái · still, yet, also, besides
是: shì · indeed, yes, right; to be; demonstrative pronoun, this, that
还: hái · still, yet, also, besides

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

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Mandarin tones

2–5 · hai2 shi5

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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.

還是 · find source passages ↗ · 还是 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 5 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

waan4 si6

Cantonese word readings for 還是. 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.

adv

still
nevertheless; yet
(chiefly Wu) used to form comparative structures; -er than
had better; it would be best (to do something); one would be well-advised to

conj

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

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