紀元前

简 纪元前 · 繁 紀元前
Mandarin · pinyin jì yuán qián

Meanings

  1. before the common era (BC)
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Characters in this entry

紀
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元
yuán · first; dollar; origin; head
前
qián · in front, forward; preceding
纪
jì · record, annal, historical account
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–2–2 · ji4 yuan2 qian2

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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.

紀元前 · find source passages ↗ · 纪元前 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gei2 jyun4 cin4

Cantonese word readings for 紀元前. 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.

noun

  1. BC (before Christ)

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

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