DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

敷衍

Mandarin · pinyin fū yǎn

to elaborate (on a theme)
to expound (the classics)
perfunctory
to skimp
to botch
to do sth half-heartedly or just for show
barely enough to get by

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Characters in this entry

敷: fū · spread, diffuse; apply, paint
衍: yǎn · overflow, spill over, spread out

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

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Mandarin tones

1–3 · fu1 yan3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 7 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fu1 hin2

Cantonese word readings for 敷衍. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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

to do a perfunctory job; to go through the motions
to have enough to barely get by; to just manage on one's own
to treat something lightly
to elaborate on a theme
to expound (the meaning of the classics)
(archaic) to spread; to disseminate
(archaic) to perform

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

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