不言不語
简 不言不语 · 繁 不言不語Meanings
- to not say a word (idiom)
- to keep silent
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Mandarin tones
4–2–4–3 · bu4 yan2 bu4 yu3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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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.
不言不語 · find source passages ↗ · 不言不语 · find source passages ↗
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Rime Cantonese 粵拼
bat1 jin4 bat1 jyu5
Cantonese word readings for 不言不語. 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 say a word; to keep silent
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack