DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

利維坦

简利维坦 · 繁利維坦

Mandarin · pinyin lì wéi tǎn

(loanword) leviathan

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

利: lì · gains, advantage, profit, merit
維: Look up this written character
坦: tǎn · flat, smooth; self-possessed
维: wéi · maintain, preserve, safeguard

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–2–3 · li4 wei2 tan3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

利維坦 · find source passages ↗ · 利维坦 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(biblical) leviathan (a vast sea monster of tremendous strength)
(political science) domineering and authoritarian political state

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack