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一絲不苟

简一丝不苟 · 繁一絲不苟

Mandarin · pinyin yī sī bù gǒu

not one thread loose (idiom); strictly according to the rules
meticulous
not one hair out of place

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
絲: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
苟: gǒu · careless, frivolous; illicit; grammatical particle: if, but, if only; surname; grass name
丝: sī · silk; fine thread; wire; strings

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–3 · yi1 si1 bu4 gou3

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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.

一絲不苟 · find source passages ↗ · 一丝不苟 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 si1 bat1 gau2

Cantonese word readings for 一絲不苟. 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.

verb

to be scrupulous about every detail; to not be the least bit negligent; to not overlook any detail

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

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