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序

Mandarin · pinyin xù

(bound form) order; sequence
(bound form) introductory; initial
preface

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序: xù · series, serial order, sequence

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

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Mandarin tones

4 · xu4

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zeoi6

Cantonese word readings for 序. 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.

character

order; sequence
preface (of a book); foreword (Classifier: 篇)
introductory
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) school

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

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