DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

不足為訓

简不足为训 · 繁不足為訓

Mandarin · pinyin bù zú wéi xùn

not to be taken as an example
not an example to be followed
not to be taken as authoritative

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
足: zú · foot; attain, satisfy, enough; Kangxi radical 156
為: Look up this written character
訓: Look up this written character
为: wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be
训: xùn · teach, instruct; exegesis

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–2–2–4 · bu4 zu2 wei2 xun4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character 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.

不足為訓 · find source passages ↗ · 不足为训 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) not fit to serve as a model; not to be taken as an example; not an example to be followed; unauthoritative

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

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