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一盤散沙

简一盘散沙 · 繁一盤散沙

Mandarin · pinyin yī pán sǎn shā

lit. like a sheet of loose sand
fig. unable to cooperate (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
盤: Look up this written character
散: sàn · scatter, disperse, break up
沙: shā · sand, gravel, pebbles; granulated
盘: pán · tray, plate, dish; examine

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–3–1 · yi1 pan2 san3 sha1

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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.

一盤散沙 · find source passages ↗ · 一盘散沙 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 pun4 saan2 saa1

Cantonese word readings for 一盤散沙. 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

(idiomatic) to be in a state of disunity

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

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