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斂

简敛 · 繁斂

Mandarin · pinyin liǎn#

(literary) to hold back
(literary) to restrain; to control (oneself)
to collect; to gather
Taiwan pr. liàn

Mandarin · pinyin liàn#

variant of 殮 liàn

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Characters in this entry

斂: Look up this written character
敛: liǎn · draw back, fold back; collect

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

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Mandarin tones

3 · lian3

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1character link15same-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.

斂 · find source passages ↗ · 敛 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 5 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lim5 · lim6

Cantonese word readings for 斂. 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

to draw back; to fold back
to collect (particularly of taxes; now especially if done extorsively)
to go into hiding, steal away, seclude oneself
to hold back, restrain oneself
35th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "gathering" (𝌨)

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

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