DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

含蓄

Mandarin · pinyin hán xù

to contain
to hold
(of a person or style etc) reserved
restrained
(of words, writings) full of hidden meaning
implicit
veiled (criticism)

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Characters in this entry

含: hán · hold in mouth; cherish; contain
蓄: xù · store, save, hoard, gather

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4 · han2 xu4

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2character links1same-tone record

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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 · 4 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ham4 cuk1

Cantonese word readings for 含蓄. 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

implicit; implied; unspoken
(of a criticism) veiled; covert
(of a person) reserved; quiet; reticent

verb

to contain; to embody

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

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