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南柯一夢

简南柯一梦 · 繁南柯一夢

Mandarin · pinyin Nán kē yī mèng

lit. a dream of Nanke
fig. dreams of grandeur

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Characters in this entry

南: nán · south; southern part; southward
柯: kē · axe-handle; stalk, bough; surname
一: yī · one; a, an; alone
夢: Look up this written character
梦: mèng · dream; visionary; wishful

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–1–4 · Nan2 ke1 yi1 meng4

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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.

南柯一夢 · find source passages ↗ · 南柯一梦 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

naam4 o1 jat1 mung6

Cantonese word readings for 南柯一夢. 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.

phrase

(idiomatic) delusion of grandeur; fleeting glory

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

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