演

Mandarin · pinyin yǎn

Meanings

  1. to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show)
  2. (bound form) to develop; to play out; to carry out (a task)
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Characters in this entry

演
yǎn · perform, put on; exercise
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3 · yan3

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1character link63same-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.

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jin2 · jin5

Cantonese word readings for 演. 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

  1. to develop; to evolve
  2. to deduce
  3. to perform; to act; to put on
  4. to drill; to practice; to exercise
  5. a surname, Yan

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

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