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稗官

Mandarin · pinyin bài guān

(old) petty official charged with reporting back to the ruler on what people in a locality are talking about
novel in the vernacular
fiction writer; novelist

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Characters in this entry

稗: bài · darnels, weeds, tares small
官: guān · official, public servant

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Mandarin tones

4–1 · bai4 guan1

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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

(historical) petty official responsible for reporting the talk of the town, stories, and local customs to the emperor
(figurative) novel
(figurative) novelist

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

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