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深淺

简深浅 · 繁深淺

Mandarin · pinyin shēn qiǎn

deep or shallow
depth (of the sea)
limits of decorum

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Characters in this entry

深: shēn · deep; depth; far; very, extreme
淺: Look up this written character
浅: qiǎn · shallow, not deep; superficial

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

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Mandarin tones

1–3 · shen1 qian3

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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.

深淺 · find source passages ↗ · 深浅 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sam1 cin2

Cantonese word readings for 深淺. 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.

noun

(literally) depth (of a body of water, shade of colour, etc.)
(figuratively) sense of propriety; proper limits (of decorum, speech, behaviour, etc.)

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

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