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開元

简开元 · 繁開元

Mandarin · pinyin Kāi yuán

Tang emperor Xuanzong's 唐玄宗 Táng Xuán zōng reign name used during the Kaiyuan era (713-741), a peak of Tang prosperity

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Characters in this entry

開: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
元: yuán · first; dollar; origin; head
开: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2 · Kai1 yuan2

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3character links2same-tone records1source reference

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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 · 4 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(literary) to start a new era

name

era name of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (713—741)
(～街道) Kaiyuan (a subdistrict of Siming district, Xiamen, Fujian, China)
(～區) (historical) Kaiyuan District (a former district of Xiamen City)

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

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