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一塵不染

简一尘不染 · 繁一塵不染

Mandarin · pinyin yī chén bù rǎn

(idiom) untainted by even a speck of dust; spotlessly clean; (of a person) honest; incorruptible

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
塵: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
染: rǎn · dye; be contagious; infect
尘: chén · dust, dirt, ashes, cinders

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–3 · yi1 chen2 bu4 ran3

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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.

一塵不染 · find source passages ↗ · 一尘不染 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 can4 bat1 jim5

Cantonese word readings for 一塵不染. 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.

phrase

(Buddhism) to be unstained by an evil environment; to be selfless and incorruptible
(figurative) to be immaculate; to be spotless

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

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