志 is also the simplified spelling of 誌.

志

Mandarin · pinyin zhì

Meanings

  1. aspiration
  2. ambition
  3. the will
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Characters in this entry

志
zhì · purpose, will, determination; annals
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4 · zhi4

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Connected dictionary

1character link113same-tone records
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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 · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi3

Cantonese word readings for 志. 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 · Etymology 1

  1. will; determination; aspiration; ambition
  2. (alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 誌 (zhì, “annals; records”)
  3. a surname

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack