DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

低聲細語

简低声细语 · 繁低聲細語

Mandarin · pinyin dī shēng xì yǔ

in a whisper
in a low voice (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

低: dī · low; to lower, hang, bend, bow
聲: shēng · sound, voice, noise; tone; music
細: xì · fine, tiny; slender, thin
語: Look up this written character
声: shēng · sound, voice, noise; tone; music
细: xì · fine, tiny; slender, thin
语: yǔ · language, words; saying, expression

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–3 · di1 sheng1 xi4 yu3

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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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.

低聲細語 · find source passages ↗ · 低声细语 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dai1 sing1 sai3 jyu5

Cantonese word readings for 低聲細語. 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) in a low voice; whisper

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

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