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自始至終

简自始至终 · 繁自始至終

Mandarin · pinyin zì shǐ zhì zhōng

from start to finish (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
始: shǐ · begin, start; then, only then
至: zhì · reach, arrive; extremely, very; Kangxi radical 133
終: Look up this written character
终: zhōng · end; finally, in the end

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–4–1 · zi4 shi3 zhi4 zhong1

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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.

自始至終 · find source passages ↗ · 自始至终 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi6 ci2 zi3 zung1

Cantonese word readings for 自始至終. 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.

adv

(idiomatic) from beginning to end, always

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

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