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不緊不慢

简不紧不慢 · 繁不緊不慢

Mandarin · pinyin bù jǐn bù màn

(idiom) to take one's time; unhurried; leisurely

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
緊: Look up this written character
慢: màn · slow(ly), leisurely, sluggish
紧: jǐn · tense, tight, taut; firm, secure

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–4–4 · bu4 jin3 bu4 man4

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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.

不緊不慢 · find source passages ↗ · 不紧不慢 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(literally) neither rushed nor slow; at the right pace
(now often) unhurried; unflustered; taking one's time

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

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