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開年

简开年 · 繁開年

Mandarin · pinyin kāi nián

beginning of a year

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Characters in this entry

開: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
年: nián · year; new-years; person's age
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 nian2

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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.

開年 · find source passages ↗ · 开年 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 5 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hoi1 nin4

Cantonese word readings for 開年. 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.

verb

to begin the Lunar New Year (by doing something)
(Cantonese, figuratively, derogatory, usually said by adults to children around Chinese New Year) to beat somebody up; to celebrate one's death

noun

(Cantonese, Nanning Pinghua) second day of the Lunar New Year
(literary or Northern Wu) beginning of a year; period after new year celebrations
(literary or Northern Wu) next year

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

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