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先人

Mandarin · pinyin xiān rén

ancestor; forefather
sb's late father

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Characters in this entry

先: xiān · first, former, previous
人: rén · man; people; mankind; someone else

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2 · xian1 ren2

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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 · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sin1 jan4

Cantonese word readings for 先人. 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.

noun

ancestors; forebears; forefathers
(respectful) one's deceased father; my late father; my dearly departed father
the ancients; people from ancient times; forefathers

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

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