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乍

Mandarin · pinyin zhà

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乍: zhà · first time, for the first time

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

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Mandarin tones

4 · zha4

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1character link26same-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 · 6 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zaa3 · zaa6

Cantonese word readings for 乍. 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

suddenly
at first
(Eastern Min) just; exactly
(Eastern Min) only a short while ago; just
a surname, Zha

character · Etymology 2

(Southern Min) to deep-fry slightly

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

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