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世外桃源

Mandarin · pinyin shì wài táo yuán

see 桃花源 táo huā yuán

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Characters in this entry

世: shì · generation; world; era
外: wài · out, outside, external; foreign
桃: táo · peach; marriage; surname
源: yuán · spring; source, head; surname

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–2 · shi4 wai4 tao2 yuan2

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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 · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sai3 ngoi6 tou4 jyun4

Cantonese word readings for 世外桃源. 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.

phrase

(idiomatic) The Peach Blossom Land; Shangri-La; Arcadia; lotus land; utopia; unexpectedly fantastic place off the beaten path, usually an unspoiled wilderness of great beauty; land of idyllic beauty; fictitious land of peace; heaven of peace and happiness; retreat away from the turmoil of the world; place for taking refuge

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

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