不言不語

简 不言不语 · 繁 不言不語
Mandarin · pinyin bù yán bù yǔ

Meanings

  1. to not say a word (idiom)
  2. to keep silent
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Characters in this entry

不
bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
言
yán · words, speech; speak, say; Kangxi radical 149
語
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语
yǔ · language, words; saying, expression
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–3 · bu4 yan2 bu4 yu3

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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.

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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

  1. (idiomatic) to not say a word; to keep silent

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

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