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一波三折

Mandarin · pinyin yī bō sān zhé

calligraphic flourish with many twists
fig. many twists and turns

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
波: bō · waves, breakers; undulations
三: sān · three
折: zhé · break off, snap; bend

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–1–2 · yi1 bo1 san1 zhe2

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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 · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 bo1 saam1 zit3

Cantonese word readings for 一波三折. 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

(originally) calligraphic flourish with many twists
(figurative) to be full of ups and downs; to have many twists and turns

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

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