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沈

简沉 · 沈 · 繁沈

Mandarin · pinyin chén#

variant of 沉 chén

Mandarin · pinyin Shěn#

surname Shen

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Characters in this entry

沈: shěn · chén · sink, submerge; addicted to; surname
沉: chén · sink, submerge; addicted to

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

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Mandarin tones

2 · chen2

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Connected dictionary

2character links28same-tone records1source reference

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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.

沈 · find source passages ↗ · 沉 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cam4 · sam2 · zam3

Cantonese word readings for 沈. 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

(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 沉 (chén)
(obsolete) ritual sacrifice in which animals are submerged in water
(obsolete) put poison in liquid
sixty-fourth tetragram of the Taixuanjing, "sinking" (𝍅)

character · Etymology 3

(historical) Shen, a state during the Zhou dynasty and located in modern-day Henan
a surname

character · Etymology 4

only used in 沈沈

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

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