自然

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Pronunciation

Peng'im: ze6 riang5
POJ: tsǔr-jiâng
Variety: chaozhou

Pronunciation note: Realised [dz] ~ [z] ~ [l] depending on speaker and register; many younger speakers merge it with /l/. The cited sources corroborate [dz], relaxing to [z] for younger/overseas speakers; neither attests the further merger to /l/.

Meanings and usage

noun: nature; the natural world, natural; naturally (also attested as adjective/adverb/conjunction)
自然

Wiktionary lists 自然 as noun, adjective, adverb, and conjunction, all sharing the identical Teochew reading; the noun 'nature' sense was chosen as primary though the word is equally common as an adjective/adverb ('natural'/'naturally').

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