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硬水

Mandarin · pinyin yìng shuǐ

hard water (cf. 軟水 ruǎn shuǐ, soft water)

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Characters in this entry

硬: yìng · hard, firm, strong; obstinate
水: shuǐ · water, liquid, lotion, juice

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3 · ying4 shui3

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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 · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngaang6 seoi2

Cantonese word readings for 硬水. 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

(chemistry) hard water

adj

(Mainland China Hokkien) arduous; strenuous

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

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