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冷眼旁觀

简冷眼旁观 · 繁冷眼旁觀

Mandarin · pinyin lěng yǎn páng guān

(idiom) to observe with an indifferent attitude; to be a bystander (usually referring to someone who could get involved but chooses not to)

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Characters in this entry

冷: lěng · cold, cool; lonely
眼: yǎn · eye; eyelet, hole, opening
旁: páng · side; by side, close by, near
觀: Look up this written character
观: guān · see, observe, view; appearance

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–2–1 · leng3 yan3 pang2 guan1

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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.

冷眼旁觀 · find source passages ↗ · 冷眼旁观 · 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 look on coldly without getting involved

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

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