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一語成讖

简一语成谶 · 繁一語成讖

Mandarin · pinyin yī yǔ chéng chèn

(idiom) to have one's words turn out to be (tragically) prophetic

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
語: Look up this written character
成: chéng · completed, finished, fixed
讖: Look up this written character
语: yǔ · language, words; saying, expression
谶: chèn · prophecy, hint, omen

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

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Mandarin tones

1–3–2–4 · yi1 yu3 cheng2 chen4

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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.

一語成讖 · find source passages ↗ · 一语成谶 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 jyu5 sing4 caam3

Cantonese word readings for 一語成讖. 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) one's careless words (inauspiciously) turned out to be a prophecy

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

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