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不絕如縷

简不绝如缕 · 繁不絕如縷

Mandarin · pinyin bù jué rú lǚ

hanging by a thread
very precarious
almost extinct
(of sound) linger on faintly

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
絕: Look up this written character
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
縷: Look up this written character
绝: jué · to cut, sever, break off, terminate
缕: lǚ · thread; detailed, precise

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–2–3 · bu4 jue2 ru2 lu:3

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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.

不絕如縷 · find source passages ↗ · 不绝如缕 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 zyut6 jyu4 leoi5

Cantonese word readings for 不絕如縷. 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) in a desperate situation
(of sounds) faint and long
(proscribed) to be continuous; to be unceasing

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

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