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使役

Mandarin · pinyin shǐ yì

to use (an animal or servant)
working (animal)
(beast) of burden
causative form of verbs (esp. in grammar of Japanese, Korean etc)

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Characters in this entry

使: shǐ · cause, send on a mission, order; envoy, messenger, ambassador
役: yì · service; a servant, laborer; to serve

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4 · shi3 yi4

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2character links1same-tone record

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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 · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

si2 jik6

Cantonese word readings for 使役. 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.

verb

to make ... work; to put to work (a servant or animal)
(grammar) to express a cause or causation; to be causative

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

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