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一知半解

Mandarin · pinyin yī zhī bàn jiě

(idiom) to have a superficial knowledge of a subject; to know a smattering of sth

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
知: zhī · know, perceive, comprehend
半: bàn · half
解: jiě · loosen, unfasten, untie; explain; hexagram ䷧

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–3 · yi1 zhi1 ban4 jie3

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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

jat1 zi1 bun3 gaai2

Cantonese word readings for 一知半解. 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 sort of understand; to only halfway understand; to be unsure of the meaning (of a word or phrase)

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

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