曏

简 向 · 繁 曏
Mandarin · pinyin xiàng

Meanings

  1. variant of 向 xiàng
  2. direction
  3. orientation
  4. to face
  5. to turn toward
  6. to
  7. towards
  8. shortly before
  9. formerly
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

曏
Look up this written character
向
xiàng · toward, direction, trend
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4 · xiang4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link20same-tone records3source references
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

曏 · find source passages ↗ · 向 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hoeng3

Cantonese word readings for 曏. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

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. in the near past; in the past; formerly
  2. facing; against

character · Etymology 2

  1. original form of 晌 (shǎng, “short period of time”)

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

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