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典

Mandarin · pinyin diǎn

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典: diǎn · law, canon; documentation; classic, scripture

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

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Mandarin tones

3 · dian3

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1character link10same-tone records

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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 · 4 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

din2

Cantonese word readings for 典. 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.

character

law, canon
documentation
classic work; (religion) scripture
(Internet slang, sarcastic) classic, typical (complaint that something is cliche or common in a negative way)

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

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