DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

不請自來

简不请自来 · 繁不請自來

Mandarin · pinyin bù qǐng zì lái

to turn up without being invited
unsolicited

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
請: qǐng · ask, request; invite; please
自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
请: qǐng · ask, request; invite; please
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–3–4–2 · bu4 qing3 zi4 lai2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

6character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

不請自來 · find source passages ↗ · 不请自来 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 cing2 zi6 loi4

Cantonese word readings for 不請自來. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to turn up without being invited

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack