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承先啟後

简承先启后 · 繁承先啟後

Mandarin · pinyin chéng xiān qǐ hòu

see 承前啟後 chéng qián qǐ hòu

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Characters in this entry

承: chéng · inherit, receive; succeed
先: xiān · first, former, previous
啟: Look up this written character
後: hòu · behind, rear, after; descendents
启: qǐ · open; begin, commence; explain
后: hòu · queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–3–4 · cheng2 xian1 qi3 hou4

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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.

承先啟後 · find source passages ↗ · 承先启后 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to inherit the teachings of previous generations in order to inspire future actions

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

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