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在天之靈

简在天之灵 · 繁在天之靈

Mandarin · pinyin zài tiān zhī líng

soul and spirit of the deceased

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Characters in this entry

在: zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
天: tiān · sky, heaven; god, celestial
之: zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
靈: Look up this written character
灵: líng · spirit, soul; spiritual world

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

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Mandarin tones

4–1–1–2 · zai4 tian1 zhi1 ling2

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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.

在天之靈 · find source passages ↗ · 在天之灵 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zoi6 tin1 zi1 ling4

Cantonese word readings for 在天之靈. 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) spirit of the deceased (in heaven)

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

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