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反

Mandarin · pinyin fǎn

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反: fǎn · reverse, opposite, contrary, anti

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

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Mandarin tones

3 · fan3

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1character link6same-tone records1source reference

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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 · 22 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

faan1 · faan2 · faan3

Cantonese word readings for 反. 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 · Etymology 1

to turn over or flip; to turn around; to reverse; to change to an opposite position
to return; to counter
to rebel; to revolt
to oppose
instead; on the contrary
reversed; opposite; backwards; upside down
to infer; to generalize
(literary) to reflect (on one's actions)
(obsolete) to revenge
(chemistry) trans-
(Southern Min) to leaf through; to scan
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 返 (fǎn, “to return; to give back”)
(abbreviation, alt-of) short for 反革命 (fǎngémìng, “counterrevolutionary”)
(phonetics) synonym of 切 (qiè)
a surname

character · Etymology 1

to redress
to pour
(phonetics) short for 反切 (fǎnqiè, “fanqie”)
to flip over

character · Etymology 1

used in 反反
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 販 /贩 (fàn)

character · Etymology 2

(music) Cantonese opera gongche notation for the note fa (4).

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

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