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不分伯仲

Mandarin · pinyin bù fēn bó zhòng

lit. unable to distinguish eldest brother from second brother (idiom); they are all equally excellent
nothing to choose between them

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
分: fēn · divide; small unit of time etc.
伯: bó · older brother; father's elder brother; senior male 'sire'; feudal rank 'count'
仲: zhòng · middle brother; go between, mediator; surname

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

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Mandarin tones

4–1–2–4 · bu4 fen1 bo2 zhong4

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 fan1 baak3 zung6

Cantonese word readings for 不分伯仲. 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 be equally excellent; on a par

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

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