DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

劍走蜻蛉

简剑走蜻蛉 · 繁劍走蜻蛉

Mandarin · pinyin jiàn zǒu qīng líng

the sword moves like a dragon-fly (modern idiom)
fig. unexpected winning move
unconventional gambit

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Characters in this entry

劍: Look up this written character
走: zǒu · walk, go on foot; run; leave; Kangxi radical 156
蜻: qīng · dragonfly
蛉: líng · dragonfly, Libellulidae; lacewing
剑: jiàn · sword, dagger, saber

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–1–2 · jian4 zou3 qing1 ling2

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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.

劍走蜻蛉 · find source passages ↗ · 剑走蜻蛉 · find source passages ↗

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