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酒肉朋友

Mandarin · pinyin jiǔ ròu péng you

lit. drinking buddy (idiom)
fig. fair-weather friend

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Characters in this entry

酒: jiǔ · wine, spirits, liquor, alcoholic beverage
肉: ròu · flesh; meat; Kangxi radical 130
朋: péng · friend, pal, acquaintance
友: yǒu · friend, companion; fraternity

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–5 · jiu3 rou4 peng2 you5

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zau2 juk6 pang4 jau5

Cantonese word readings for 酒肉朋友. 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.

noun

fair-weather friend (one who is friendly only to his own advantage)

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

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