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外傳

简外传 · 繁外傳

Mandarin · pinyin wài chuán#

to tell others (a secret)
to divulge to an outsider
to be rumored

Mandarin · pinyin wài zhuàn#

unofficial biography (as opposed to official dynastic biography)

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Characters in this entry

外: wài · out, outside, external; foreign
傳: chuán · summon; propagate, transmit
传: chuán · summon; propagate, transmit

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2 · wai4 chuan2

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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.

外傳 · find source passages ↗ · 外传 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngoi6 cyun4

Cantonese word readings for 外傳. 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.

verb

to leak; to disseminate
to be taught to an outsider
it is rumoured that ...

noun

unofficial record; unofficial biography
side story; spin-off
esoteric tradition (commentary that does not focus on interpreting the text but uses examples and expands upon the original meaning)

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

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