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治本

Mandarin · pinyin zhì běn

to tackle a problem at its root; to effect a permanent solution (contrasted with 治標 zhì biāo)

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Characters in this entry

治: zhì · govern, regulate, administer
本: běn · root, origin, source; basis

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3 · zhi4 ben3

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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 · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi6 bun2

Cantonese word readings for 治本. 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 take radical measures; to effect a permanent cure; to get at the root (of a problem, etc.)

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

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