DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

以弱勝強

简以弱胜强 · 繁以弱勝強

Mandarin · pinyin yǐ ruò shèng qiáng

using the weak to defeat the strong (idiom); to win from a position of weakness

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Characters in this entry

以: yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
弱: ruò · weak; fragile, delicate
勝: shèng · victory; excel, be better than
強: qiáng · strong, powerful, energetic
胜: shèng · victory; excel, be better than
强: qiáng · strong, powerful, energetic

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–4–2 · yi3 ruo4 sheng4 qiang2

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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.

以弱勝強 · find source passages ↗ · 以弱胜强 · find source passages ↗

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