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喜怒哀樂

简喜怒哀乐 · 繁喜怒哀樂

Mandarin · pinyin xǐ nù āi lè

(lit.) happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy (idiom)
(fig.) emotions

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Characters in this entry

喜: xǐ · like, love, enjoy; joyful thing
怒: nù · anger, rage, passion; angry
哀: āi · sad, mournful, pitiful; pity
樂: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music
乐: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–1–4 · xi3 nu4 ai1 le4

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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.

喜怒哀樂 · find source passages ↗ · 喜怒哀乐 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hei2 nou6 oi1 lok6

Cantonese word readings for 喜怒哀樂. 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) happiness, anger, sorrow and joy; the emotions of life

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

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