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先天

Mandarin · pinyin xiān tiān

embryonic period (contrasted with 後天 hòu tiān)
inborn; innate; natural

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Characters in this entry

先: xiān · first, former, previous
天: tiān · sky, heaven; god, celestial

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1 · xian1 tian1

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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 tin1

Cantonese word readings for 先天. 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

nature (as opposed to nurture)

adj

(of a disease or trait) congenital; inherited; innate; inborn

name

(historical) one of the era names of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (712–713)

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

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