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保不住

Mandarin · pinyin bǎo bu zhù

cannot maintain (sth)
unable to keep
more likely than not
may well

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Characters in this entry

保: bǎo · protect, safeguard, defend, care
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
住: zhù · reside, live at, dwell, lodge; stop

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

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Mandarin tones

3–5–4 · bao3 bu5 zhu4

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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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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(literally) to be unable to maintain

adv

(colloquial) may well (have ...); probably; quite possibly

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

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