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秦始皇帝

Mandarin · pinyin Qín Shǐ Huáng dì

the First Emperor 259-210 BC

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Characters in this entry

秦: qín · feudal state of Qin; the Qin dynasty (from which the name 'China' comes)
始: shǐ · begin, start; then, only then
皇: huáng · royal, imperial; ruler, superior
帝: dì · supreme ruler, emperor; god

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

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Mandarin tones

2–3–2–4 · Qin2 Shi3 Huang2 di4

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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 · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ceon4 ci2 wong4 dai3

Cantonese word readings for 秦始皇帝. 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.

name

(historical) Alternative name for 秦始皇 (Qín Shǐhuáng, “Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China”).

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

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