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可憐巴巴

简可怜巴巴 · 繁可憐巴巴

Mandarin · pinyin kě lián bā bā

pathetic
pitiful

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Characters in this entry

可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly
憐: Look up this written character
巴: bā · greatly desire, anxiously hope
怜: lián · pity, sympathize

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

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Mandarin tones

3–2–1–1 · ke3 lian2 ba1 ba1

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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.

可憐巴巴 · find source passages ↗ · 可怜巴巴 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ho2 lin4 baa1 baa1

Cantonese word readings for 可憐巴巴. 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.

adj

pathetic; pitiful
meager

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

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