DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
明哲保身
Mandarin · pinyin míng zhé bǎo shēn
Meanings
- a wise man looks after his own hide (idiom)
- to put one's own safety before matters of principle
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Mandarin tones
2–2–3–1 · ming2 zhe2 bao3 shen1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
ming4 zit3 bou2 san1
Cantonese word readings for 明哲保身. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
ming4 zit3 bou2 san1
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 protect or defend oneself with wisdom and sound judgement
- (idiomatic) to protect oneself above all other considerations; to place one's own interests at the foremost
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack