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先禮後兵

简先礼后兵 · 繁先禮後兵

Mandarin · pinyin xiān lǐ hòu bīng

(idiom) try persuasion before resorting to force

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Characters in this entry

先: xiān · first, former, previous
禮: lǐ · social custom; manners; courtesy; rites
後: hòu · behind, rear, after; descendents
兵: bīng · soldier, troops
礼: lǐ · social custom; manners; courtesy; rites
后: hòu · queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after

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

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Mandarin tones

1–3–4–1 · xian1 li3 hou4 bing1

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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.

先禮後兵 · find source passages ↗ · 先礼后兵 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sin1 lai5 hau6 bing1

Cantonese word readings for 先禮後兵. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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 approach the situation politely before resorting to aggression (or more aggressive measures)

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

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