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陽春白雪

简阳春白雪 · 繁陽春白雪

Mandarin · pinyin yáng chūn bái xuě

melodies of the elite in the state of Chu 楚國 Chǔ guó
highbrow art and literature

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Characters in this entry

陽: yáng · the active, male principle in Chinese philosophy (yang); light; sun
春: chūn · spring; wanton
白: bái · white; pure, unblemished; bright
雪: xuě · snow; wipe away shame, avenge
阳: yáng · 'male' principle; light; sun

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–2–3 · yang2 chun1 bai2 xue3

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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.

陽春白雪 · find source passages ↗ · 阳春白雪 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

joeng4 ceon1 baak6 syut3

Cantonese word readings for 陽春白雪. 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.

phrase

(figurative) highbrow art and literature; caviar to the general

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

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