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寒微

Mandarin · pinyin hán wēi

of humble origin

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寒: hán · cold, wintry, chilly
微: wēi · small, prefix micro-, trifling

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Mandarin tones

2–1 · han2 wei1

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hon4 mei4

Cantonese word readings for 寒微. 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.

noun

(literary, of one's status, position, etc.) lowly; humble

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

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