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開初

简开初 · 繁開初

Mandarin · pinyin kāi chū

at the outset
at first
early

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Characters in this entry

開: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
初: chū · beginning, initial, primary
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

1–1 · kai1 chu1

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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.

開初 · find source passages ↗ · 开初 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hoi1 co1

Cantonese word readings for 開初. 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

at first; originally; initially

noun

initial stage; beginning

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

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