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繼往開來

简继往开来 · 繁繼往開來

Mandarin · pinyin jì wǎng kāi lái

to follow the past and herald the future (idiom); part of a historical transition
forming a bridge between earlier and later stages

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Characters in this entry

繼: Look up this written character
往: wǎng · go, depart; past, formerly
開: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
继: jì · continue, maintain, carry on
开: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–1–2 · ji4 wang3 kai1 lai2

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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.

繼往開來 · find source passages ↗ · 继往开来 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gai3 wong5 hoi1 loi4

Cantonese word readings for 繼往開來. 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.

verb

to carry on predecessors' work and open up a new path for posterity

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

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