DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

開齋

简开斋 · 繁開齋

Mandarin · pinyin kāi zhāi

to stop following a vegetarian diet
to break a fast

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

開: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
齋: Look up this written character
开: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
斋: zhāi · vegetarian diet; study

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–1 · kai1 zhai1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

開齋 · find source passages ↗ · 开斋 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hoi1 zaai1

Cantonese word readings for 開齋. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

(religion) to resume a meat diet
(Islam) to come to the end of Ramadan
(Hong Kong Cantonese) to occur for the first time or after a long break
(Eastern Min, dated) to start school; (of a semester) to begin

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack