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雅樂

简雅乐 · 繁雅樂

Mandarin · pinyin yǎ yuè

formal ceremonial music of each succeeding Chinese dynasty starting with the Zhou
Korean a'ak
Japanese gagaku

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Characters in this entry

雅: yǎ · elegant, graceful, refined
樂: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music
乐: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4 · ya3 yue4

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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.

雅樂 · find source passages ↗ · 雅乐 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

(music) yayue (ancient court ritual music of China); or any of its forms transmitted to neighbouring countries (Japanese gagaku, etc.)
(music) elegant music

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

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