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不拘小節

简不拘小节 · 繁不拘小節

Mandarin · pinyin bù jū xiǎo jié

to not bother about trifles (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
拘: jū · restrain, seize, detain
小: xiǎo · small, tiny, insignificant
節: Look up this written character
节: jié · knot, node, joint; section

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

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Mandarin tones

4–1–3–2 · bu4 ju1 xiao3 jie2

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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.

不拘小節 · find source passages ↗ · 不拘小节 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 keoi1 siu2 zit3

Cantonese word readings for 不拘小節. 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 worry about minor matters; to not worry about the details; to not be a stickler for details; not worry about dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's

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

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