來而不往非禮也
简 来而不往非礼也 · 繁 來而不往非禮也Meanings
- not to reciprocate is against etiquette (classical)
- to respond in kind
Characters in this entry
- 來
- lái · come, coming; return, returning
- 而
- ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 往
- wǎng · go, depart; past, formerly
- 非
- fēi · not, negative, non-; oppose; Kangxi radical 175
- 禮
- lǐ · social custom; manners; courtesy; rites
- 也
- yě · also; classical final particle of strong affirmation or identity
- 来
- lái · come, coming; return, returning
- 礼
- lǐ · social custom; manners; courtesy; rites
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2–2–4–3–1–3–3 · lai2 er2 bu4 wang3 fei1 li3 ye3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
來而不往非禮也 · find source passages ↗ · 来而不往非礼也 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
loi4 ji4 bat1 wong5 fei1 lai5 jaa5
Cantonese word readings for 來而不往非禮也. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
proverb
- It is impolite not to reciprocate; Friendship cannot stand always on one side; It's impolite not to make a return for what one receives; One should return as good as one receives.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack