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一觸即發

简一触即发 · 繁一觸即發

Mandarin · pinyin yī chù jí fā

could happen at any moment
on the verge

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
觸: Look up this written character
即: jí · promptly, quickly, immediately
發: fā · issue, dispatch, send out, emit
触: chù · butt, ram, gore; touch
发: fā · issue, dispatch, send out; hair

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4–2–1 · yi1 chu4 ji2 fa1

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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.

一觸即發 · find source passages ↗ · 一触即发 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 cuk1 zik1 faat3 · jat1 zuk1 zik1 faat3

Cantonese word readings for 一觸即發. 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) could break out or flare up at any time (of a situation); on the verge of crisis; in a tense and volatile situation

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack