DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

種子

简种子 · 繁種子

Mandarin · pinyin zhǒng zi

seed
Classifier: 顆 kē, 粒 lì

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

種: zhǒng · seed; race; offspring; to plant
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
种: zhǒng · seed; race, breed; to plant

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3–5 · zhong3 zi5

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links2source references

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

種子 · find source passages ↗ · 种子 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zung2 zi2

Cantonese word readings for 種子. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(botany) seed (Classifier: 粒 m c; 顆／颗 m)
(archaic, often derogatory) seed; offspring; descendant; son (Classifier: 個／个 m)
(～選手, ～球員) (sports) seeded player (Classifier: 個／个 m)
(computing) seed (in a peer-to-peer network) (Classifier: 顆／颗 m)
(～文件, ～檔案, ～檔) (computing) torrent (set of files obtainable through a peer-to-peer network)
(cryptography) seed

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

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