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乃

Mandarin · pinyin nǎi

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乃: nǎi · then; really, indeed; as it turned out, after all; namely

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

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Mandarin tones

3 · nai3

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1character link14same-tone records

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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 · 13 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

naai5 · oi2

Cantonese word readings for 乃. 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

(literary) you, your
(literary) be
(literary) then; hence
(literary) only then; not ... until
(literary) but
(literary) surprisingly; unexpectedly
(Mainland China, Internet slang, cute-sounding) you (singular)
(Northern Wu) now

character · Etymology 2

(Taishanese, colloquial) alternative form of 哪 (“which; where”)

character · Etymology 3

(Puxian Min) an interjection for response
(Puxian Min) why
(Puxian Min) what to do
(Puxian Min) how

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

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