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契丹

Mandarin · pinyin Qì dān

Qidan or Khitan, ethnic group in ancient China, a branch of the Eastern Hu people inhabiting the valley of the Xar Murun River in the upper reaches of the Liao River 遼河 Liáo Hé

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Characters in this entry

契: qì · deed, contract, bond; engrave
丹: dān · cinnabar (native HgS); vermilion (artificial HgS used as pigment)

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Mandarin tones

4–1 · Qi4 dan1

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

kit3 daan1

Cantonese word readings for 契丹. 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.

name

the Khitans (the Mongolic people who ruled Manchuria, then Northern China as the Liao, then Central Asia as the Qara Khitai, from the 9th to 13th century C.E.)

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

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