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不恥下問

简不耻下问 · 繁不恥下問

Mandarin · pinyin bù chǐ xià wèn

not feel ashamed to ask and learn from one's subordinates

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
恥: Look up this written character
下: xià · under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down
問: wèn · ask (about), inquire after
耻: chǐ · shame, humiliation; ashamed
问: wèn · ask about, inquire after

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–4–4 · bu4 chi3 xia4 wen4

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 ci2 haa6 man6

Cantonese word readings for 不恥下問. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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

bat1 ci2 haa6 man6

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to be not ashamed to learn from one's subordinates

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

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