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義務

简义务 · 繁義務

Mandarin · pinyin yì wù

duty; obligation (Classifier: 項 xiàng)
volunteer (work etc)

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Characters in this entry

義: Look up this written character
務: Look up this written character
义: yì · right conduct, righteousness
务: wù · affairs, business; must, should

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4 · yi4 wu4

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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.

義務 · find source passages ↗ · 义务 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ji6 mou6

Cantonese word readings for 義務. 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.

adj

(attributive) compulsory; mandatory
(attributive) without remuneration; voluntary

noun

duty; obligation; responsibility

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

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