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釋文

简释文 · 繁釋文

Mandarin · pinyin shì wén

interpreting words
to explain the meaning of words in classic texts
to decipher an old script

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Characters in this entry

釋: Look up this written character
文: wén · literature, culture, writing
释: shì · interpret, elucidate; release

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2 · shi4 wen2

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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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.

釋文 · find source passages ↗ · 释文 · find source passages ↗

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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.

noun

annotations (often used in book titles)

verb

to annotate the pronunciation and meaning of words in a premodern text

name

(abbreviation, alt-of) short for 經典釋文／经典释文 (Jīngdiǎn Shìwén, “Jingdian Shiwen”)

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

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