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以小人之心，度君子之腹

Mandarin · pinyin yǐ xiǎo rén zhī xīn , duó jūn zǐ zhī fù

to gauge the heart of a gentleman with one's own mean measure (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

以: yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
小: xiǎo · small, tiny, insignificant
人: rén · man; people; mankind; someone else
之: zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
度: dù · degree, system; manner; to consider
君: jūn · sovereign, monarch, ruler, chief, prince
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
腹: fù · stomach, belly, abdomen; inside

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