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孜孜矻矻

Mandarin · pinyin zī zī kū kū

diligently

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孜: zī · be as diligent as possible
矻: kū · toil, slave away; busy

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Mandarin tones

1–1–1–1 · zi1 zi1 ku1 ku1

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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 · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi1 zi1 ngat6 ngat6

Cantonese word readings for 孜孜矻矻. 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.

adv

(literary) diligently; conscientiously

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

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