Chinese Character Library — Meanings, Pronunciations & Radicals

Tao — an archaic character with limited usage, primarily found in classical

Wisdom, sagacity; astute judgment; used historically to refer to the wisdom of rulers or sages.

Word — refers to a word, term, or expression; also used specifically for classical Chinese poetry forms like cí poetry.

To fear; to dread; to be terrified

Boast, brag, praise — to speak with exaggeration about one's abilities or; to praise excessively.

To inquire; to ask; to consult

To go to; to reach; to attain (a level of skill or knowledge)

To deceive, to lie; falsehood; also used in ancient texts to mean confused speech or dream talk.

Harmony, agreement; to harmonize or agree with; ancient variant meaning to respond or answer.

To try, test, attempt, experiment; examination, test; to taste.

Cha — to investigate, examine, observe carefully; variant form of 察 with the same meaning.

To boast; to exaggerate; to spread rumors

Poetry — literary composition in verse form; poem; poetic works

To argue angrily; to quarrel fiercely; to dispute with resentment.

to be surprised; to be astonished; to wonder

To insult, abuse, revile; disgrace, shame; to blame, reproach.

Deceitful, cunning, crafty; strange, weird; to cheat, to deceive.

To explain; to elucidate; to interpret

To speak boldly; to declare; to state confidently. Also used in names to convey confidence and eloquence.

To interrogate; to question closely; to investigate

Speech, words, talk, language; to speak, to talk; a dialect

Should, ought to; that, the said; this, such

Detailed, complete, thorough; to explain, to elaborate; to know clearly

Wei — to startle, to frighten; to be terrified; to be alarmed.

Numerous, abundant; describing a large gathering of people or things; also used in classical texts to mean 'to gather' or 'to assemble'.

To pledge; to toast; to respond in kind

To slander, to defame; to deceive; to confuse

Riddle, puzzle; to confuse, to bewilder; obscure speech.

Zhan — a surname; to state, to tell; verbose, talkative

To name; to give a name to; to designate

To argue or dispute; to debate earnestly; to contend in words.

Humorous, witty, jesting, comical; to joke or jest in a lighthearted manner.

To quarrel noisily; to argue vehemently; to engage in loud disputes or altercations.

Noisy; clamorous; to argue

To make mistakes; to mislead; to deceive

To tempt, to entice; to deceive, to mislead; to confuse, to bewilder.

To argue or dispute; to engage in verbal contention or debate.

To provoke; to incite; to tempt

To separate; to part; to move away

lei3 — a funeral eulogy; to praise the dead in writing; a formal elegy or dirge.

to execute; to put to death; to punish

To deceive; to cheat; to swindle

To boast, to exaggerate, to praise excessively; to brag about one's achievements or qualities.

To scold, rebuke, or reprimand severely; to denounce or censure with harsh words.

Reputation, fame, praise — to praise or commend; good name or renown; to be well-regarded.

To transcribe, to copy out, to make a fair copy of a

To warn, to admonish; to remember as a warning; to keep in mind as a caution.

Record; to record; mark

To recognize; to identify; to acknowledge

To admonish; to exhort; to urge

Bright; clear; distinct (archaic character, rarely used in modern Chinese)

E — an ancient Chinese character meaning 'I, me'; used as a first-person pronoun in classical Chinese texts.

to deceive, to cheat; to swindle; to mislead

An interjection expressing surprise, affirmation, or calling attention; also used to indicate hesitation or uncertainty in speech.

To vow; to swear; to pledge

To fabricate, to make up falsehoods; to spread rumors; to boast or brag falsely.

Birth — to be born; birthday; to originate

To rebel; to go against; to be perverse

To speak skillfully and persuasively; to use clever or artful words.

To entice, lure, seduce, tempt; to guide, lead; to induce, cause