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惘然若失

Mandarin · pinyin wǎng rán ruò shī

lit. to be frustrated as though having lost sth (idiom)
fig. to be at a loss
perplexed
frustrated

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Characters in this entry

惘: wǎng · disconcerted, dejected, discouraged
然: rán · yes, certainly; pledge, promise
若: ruò · if, supposing, assuming; similar
失: shī · lose; make mistake, neglect

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

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Mandarin tones

3–2–4–1 · wang3 ran2 ruo4 shi1

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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 · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

mong5 jin4 joek6 sat1

Cantonese word readings for 惘然若失. 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.

phrase

(simile) to be at a loss; to be frustrated

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

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