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出爾反爾

简出尔反尔 · 繁出爾反爾

Mandarin · pinyin chū ěr fǎn ěr

old: to reap the consequences of one's words (idiom, from Mencius); modern: to go back on one's word
to blow hot and cold
to contradict oneself
inconsistent

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Characters in this entry

出: chū · go out, send out; stand; produce
爾: Look up this written character
反: fǎn · reverse, opposite, contrary, anti
尔: ěr · you; that, those; final particle

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

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Mandarin tones

1–3–3–3 · chu1 er3 fan3 er3

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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.

出爾反爾 · find source passages ↗ · 出尔反尔 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ceot1 ji5 faan2 ji5

Cantonese word readings for 出爾反爾. 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 break a promise

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

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