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倒果為因

简倒果为因 · 繁倒果為因

Mandarin · pinyin dào guǒ wéi yīn

to reverse cause and effect
to put the horse before the cart

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Characters in this entry

倒: dào · fall over; lie down; take turns
果: guǒ · fruit; result
為: Look up this written character
因: yīn · cause, reason; by; because (of)
为: wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–2–1 · dao4 guo3 wei2 yin1

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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.

倒果為因 · find source passages ↗ · 倒果为因 · find source passages ↗

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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 reverse the cause and the effect; to reverse causality

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

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