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筆桿子

简笔杆子 · 繁筆桿子

Mandarin · pinyin bǐ gǎn zi

pen
an effective writer

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Characters in this entry

筆: bǐ · writing brush; write; stroke
桿: Look up this written character
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
笔: bǐ · writing brush; write; stroke
杆: gān · pole; shaft of spear

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–5 · bi3 gan3 zi5

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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

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

shaft of a pen or writing bush; penholder
(figuratively) pen; ability to write
(figuratively) effective writer

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

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