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不平則鳴

简不平则鸣 · 繁不平則鳴

Mandarin · pinyin bù píng zé míng

where there is injustice, there will be an outcry
man will cry out against injustice

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
平: píng · flat, level, even; peaceful
則: Look up this written character
鳴: Look up this written character
则: zé · rule, law, regulation; grades
鸣: míng · cry of bird or animal; make sound

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–2–2 · bu4 ping2 ze2 ming2

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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.

不平則鳴 · find source passages ↗ · 不平则鸣 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 ping4 zak1 ming4

Cantonese word readings for 不平則鳴. 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) injustice provokes outcry; where there is injustice, there will be protest

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

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