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以偏概全

Mandarin · pinyin yǐ piān gài quán

(lit.) to take a part for the whole
to generalize

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Characters in this entry

以: yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
偏: piān · inclined one side; slanting
概: gài · generally, approximately
全: quán · maintain, keep whole or intact

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Mandarin tones

3–1–4–2 · yi3 pian1 gai4 quan2

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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

ji5 pin1 koi3 cyun4

Cantonese word readings for 以偏概全. 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 take a part for the whole; to generalise

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

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