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皇后

Mandarin · pinyin huáng hòu

empress
imperial consort

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Characters in this entry

皇: huáng · royal, imperial; ruler, superior
后: hòu · queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4 · huang2 hou4

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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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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

wong4 hau6

Cantonese word readings for 皇后. 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

empress, particularly an empress consort
(Hong Kong, historical, now chiefly in place names) the British Queen
(tarot) the Empress

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

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