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一言不發

简一言不发 · 繁一言不發

Mandarin · pinyin yī yán bù fā

to not say a word (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
言: yán · words, speech; speak, say; Kangxi radical 149
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
發: fā · issue, dispatch, send out, emit
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

1–2–4–1 · yi1 yan2 bu4 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.

一言不發 · find source passages ↗ · 一言不发 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 jin4 bat1 faat3

Cantonese word readings for 一言不發. 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) to not say a word; to be silent

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

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