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形而上學

简形而上学 · 繁形而上學

Mandarin · pinyin xíng ér shàng xué

metaphysics

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Characters in this entry

形: xíng · form, shape, appearance
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
上: shàng · top; superior, highest; go up, send up
學: xué · learning, knowledge; school
学: xué · learning, knowledge; school

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–2 · xing2 er2 shang4 xue2

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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.

形而上學 · find source passages ↗ · 形而上学 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

metaphysics (a branch of philosophy)
metaphysics (the world outlook and methodology opposed to dialectics)
(dated) social science

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

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