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冤家宜解不宜結

简冤家宜解不宜结 · 繁冤家宜解不宜結

Mandarin · pinyin yuān jiā yí jiě bù yí jié

It is better to squash enmity rather than keeping it alive (proverb)

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Characters in this entry

冤: yuān · grievance, injustice, wrong
家: jiā · house, home, residence; family
宜: yí · suitable, right, fitting, proper
解: jiě · loosen, unfasten, untie; explain; hexagram ䷧
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
結: jié · knot, tie; join, connect
结: jié · knot, tie; join, connect

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–2–3–4–2–2 · yuan1 jia1 yi2 jie3 bu4 yi2 jie2

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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.

冤家宜解不宜結 · find source passages ↗ · 冤家宜解不宜结 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jyun1 gaa1 ji4 gaai2 bat1 ji4 git3

Cantonese word readings for 冤家宜解不宜結. 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) better for foes to be reconciled than to contend with each other

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

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