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前所未見

简前所未见 · 繁前所未見

Mandarin · pinyin qián suǒ wèi jiàn

unprecedented
never seen before

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Characters in this entry

前: qián · in front, forward; preceding
所: suǒ · place, location; numerary adjunct
未: wèi · not yet; eighth earthly branch
見: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
见: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive

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

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Mandarin tones

2–3–4–4 · qian2 suo3 wei4 jian4

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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 · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to be unseen; to be unprecedented

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

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