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下馬威

简下马威 · 繁下馬威

Mandarin · pinyin xià mǎ wēi

display of severity immediately on taking office
(fig.) initial show of strength

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Characters in this entry

下: xià · under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down
馬: Look up this written character
威: wēi · pomp, power; powerful; dominate
马: mǎ · horse; surname; Kangxi radical 187

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–1 · xia4 ma3 wei1

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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.

下馬威 · find source passages ↗ · 下马威 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

haa6 maa5 wai1

Cantonese word readings for 下馬威. 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.

noun

(figurative, historical) display of power immediately upon assuming office (in order to warn against insubordination)
(figurative) initial show of strength; display of strength at the first encounter

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

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