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塞

Mandarin · pinyin sāi#

to plug; to stop up; to stuff in
(bound form) a stopper; a cork

Mandarin · pinyin sài#

(bound form) strategic stronghold

Mandarin · pinyin sè#

(bound form) to block; to obstruct

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Characters in this entry

塞: sāi · stop up, block, seal, cork; pass, frontier; fortress

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · sai1

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1character link10same-tone records

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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 · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

coi3 · sak1

Cantonese word readings for 塞. 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

to stop up; to block up
to stuff; to cram; to squeeze in
to be blocked; to be jammed
to obstruct; to block
to fill up completely; to become full
to forbid; to suppress; to prohibit
to satisfy; to fulfill
to compensate; to remedy
to answer; to repay
to manage to arrange a position for someone
to practise bribery
to evade; to stall
stopper; cork
to be in a difficult position; destitute
honest; truthful
(historical) Saka people

character

(historical) place of strategic importance; pass; fortress
to build fortress; to construct fortifications
frontier; border
(specifically) the northern frontier of imperial China, as demarcated by the Great Wall
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 賽 /赛 (sài, “to compete, contend; contest, race”)
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 簺 (sài, “an ancient gambling game”)

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

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