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虔

Mandarin · pinyin qián

to act with reverence
reverent

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虔: qián · act with reverence; reverent

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

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Mandarin tones

2 · 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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

kin4

Cantonese word readings for 虔. 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.

character · Etymology 1

reverent; devout; pious; respectful; sincere
(obsolete) looking like a tiger walking; strong; powerful
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to kill; to slaughter; to murder
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to plunder; to loot; to seize
a surname

character · Etymology 2

(chiefly Quanzhou and Xiamen Hokkien) alternative form of 堅 /坚 (“to congeal; to encrust”)

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

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