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伐柯

Mandarin · pinyin fá kē

(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax
fig. to follow a principle
fig. to act as matchmaker

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Characters in this entry

伐: fá · cut down, subjugate, attack
柯: kē · axe-handle; stalk, bough; surname

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Mandarin tones

2–1 · fa2 ke1

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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.

verb

(literary) to act as a matchmaker

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

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