Standard Lemma guide

qilin

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈtʃiːlɪn/
  • /ˈkiːlɪn/
  • chē′lĭn′

1

noun

Meaning 1

A mythical Chinese hooved chimerical creature, said to appear in conjunction with the arrival of a sage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: kirin

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 麒麟 (qílín). Doublet of kirin.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Cantonese: 麒麟 (kei4 leon4) — mythical creature
  • Eastern Min Chinese: 麒麟 (gì-lìng) — mythical creature
  • Chinese: 麒麟 (zh-min-nan) — mythical creature
  • Chinese Mandarin: 麒麟 (qílín) — mythical creature
  • Wu Chinese: 麒麟 (6ji-lin) — mythical creature
  • Finnish: qilin — mythical creature
  • French: qilin — mythical creature
  • German: Qilin — mythical creature
  • Japanese: 麒麟 (kirin) — mythical creature
  • Korean: 기린 (girin) — mythical creature
  • Russian: цили́нь (cilínʹ) — mythical creature
  • Thai: กิเลน (gì-leen) — mythical creature
  • Vietnamese: kì lân — mythical creature
  • Vietnamese: kỳ lân — mythical creature