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令

Mandarin · pinyin líng#

used in 脊令 jí líng
used in 令狐 Líng hú (Taiwan pr. lìng)

Mandarin · pinyin lǐng#

classifier for a ream of paper

Mandarin · pinyin lìng#

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令: lìng · command, order; 'commandant', magistrate; allow, cause

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

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Mandarin tones

2 · ling2

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1character link76same-tone records2source references

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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.

令 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 19 senses · 5 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lim1 · ling1 · ling4 · ling5 · ling6

Cantonese word readings for 令. 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

to order; to command
order; command; directive
to make (someone do something); to cause; to allow
(historical) governor; magistrate (official title)
(literary, or in compounds) good; excellent
(literary, or in compounds) time; season
(literary, or in compounds) drinker's wager game; drinking game
(honorific) your
(poetry) short for 小令 (“ditty”)
a surname

character · Etymology 2

used in 令狐 (Línghú)
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) used in 令利
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) used in 令俜
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) used in 令星
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) used in 脊令
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) original form of 瓴 (líng)

character · Etymology 3

Classifier for reams of paper.

character · Etymology 4

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) only used in 令居 (“ancient county in modern Gansu”)

character · Etymology 6

(Cantonese) glossy; smooth and shiny

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

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