策 is also the simplified spelling of 筞, 筴.

策

Mandarin · pinyin cè#

Meanings · cè

  1. policy
  2. plan
  3. scheme
  4. bamboo slip for writing (old)
  5. to whip (a horse)
  6. to encourage
  7. riding crop with sharp spines (old)
  8. essay written for the imperial examinations (old)
  9. upward horizontal stroke in calligraphy
Mandarin · pinyin Cè#

Meanings · Cè

  1. surname Ce
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Characters in this entry

策
cè · scheme, plan; to whip; urge
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4 · ce4

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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 · 17 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

caak3

Cantonese word readings for 策. 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.

character

  1. plan; scheme; strategy
  2. (literary) to plan; to scheme
  3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to calculate; to estimate
  4. (historical) bamboo or wooden strips used for writing on in ancient China
  5. (historical) a kind of emperor's edict
  6. (historical) a type of essay in ancient China, used in imperial examinations where questions on political or economic affairs were set
  7. (historical) a kind of computing tool in ancient China, on which the multiplication table was written for multiplication, division or extracting the square root during the Qing dynasty
  8. (historical) spur
  9. (alt. form 敇) (literary) to spur; to whip; to urge with a horsewhip
  10. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to drive; to urge
  11. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) number; value
  12. (literary) cane; walking stick
  13. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to lean on; to rest on support
  14. (calligraphy) upward horizontal stroke (the fifth of the Eight Principles of Yong)
  15. (Mainland China Hokkien) to confer; to consult; to coordinate; to discuss
  16. (Chinese astronomy) Gamma Cassiopeiae
  17. a surname

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

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

策 · ce4 · Ce4
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source lines 83,262, 83,261
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source records策 策 [ce4] /policy/plan/scheme/bamboo slip for writing (old)/to whip (a horse)/to encourage/riding crop with sharp spines (old)/essay written for the imperial examinations (old)/upward horizontal stroke in calligraphy/策 策 [Ce4] /surname Ce/