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蜃

Mandarin · pinyin shèn

giant clam
(mythology) clam-monster said to breathe out a vapor that forms a mirage of buildings

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蜃: shèn · marine monster which can change its shape; water spouts; clams

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Mandarin tones

4 · shen4

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

san4 · san5 · san6

Cantonese word readings for 蜃. 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

a type of large shellfish; a type of large bivalve; clam
(mythology) the shen, a shapeshifting aquatic monster originally imagined as a clam and later as a type of dragon
(historical) ritual vessel painted with images of clam
(historical) short for 蜃炭

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

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