DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

本初子午線

简本初子午线 · 繁本初子午線

Mandarin · pinyin běn chū zǐ wǔ xiàn

the first meridian
the prime meridian

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

本: běn · root, origin, source; basis
初: chū · beginning, initial, primary
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
午: wǔ · seventh earthly branch
線: Look up this written character
线: xiàn · line, thread, wire; clue

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3–1–3–3–4 · ben3 chu1 zi3 wu3 xian4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links

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.

本初子午線 · find source passages ↗ · 本初子午线 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bun2 co1 zi2 ng5 sin3

Cantonese word readings for 本初子午線. 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.

noun

(geography) prime meridian

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

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