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乘虛而入

简乘虚而入 · 繁乘虛而入

Mandarin · pinyin chéng xū ér rù

to enter by exploiting a weak spot (idiom); to take advantage of a lapse

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Characters in this entry

乘: chéng · ride, ascend; avail oneself of; numerary adjunct for vehicles
虛: Look up this written character
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
入: rù · enter, come in(to), join
虚: xū · false

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–2–4 · cheng2 xu1 er2 ru4

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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.

乘虛而入 · find source passages ↗ · 乘虚而入 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sing4 heoi1 ji4 jap6

Cantonese word readings for 乘虛而入. 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 enter or invade by exploiting of one's opponent's unpreparedness or weakness; to break through a weak point or advance when one's opponent is off guard

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

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