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壽終正寢

简寿终正寝 · 繁壽終正寢

Mandarin · pinyin shòu zhōng zhèng qǐn

to die of old age
to die in one's bed at a ripe old age
(fig.) (of a structure or machine etc) to come to the end of its life

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Characters in this entry

壽: Look up this written character
終: Look up this written character
正: zhèng · right, proper, correct
寢: Look up this written character
寿: shòu · old age, long life; lifespan
终: zhōng · end; finally, in the end
寝: qǐn · sleep, rest; bed chamber

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

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Mandarin tones

4–1–4–3 · shou4 zhong1 zheng4 qin3

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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.

壽終正寢 · find source passages ↗ · 寿终正寝 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sau6 zung1 zing3 cam2

Cantonese word readings for 壽終正寢. 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

(euphemistic) to die at a ripe old age

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

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