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以為

简以为 · 繁以為

Mandarin · pinyin yǐ wéi

to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless referring to one's own current belief)

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Characters in this entry

以: yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
為: Look up this written character
为: wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be

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

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Mandarin tones

3–2 · yi3 wei2

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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 · 3 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

to mistakenly believe; to be under the impression; to have thought that; to assume
(formal or literary) to believe; to regard
(literary) to serve as

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

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