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動不動

简动不动 · 繁動不動

Mandarin · pinyin dòng bu dòng

(typically followed by 就 jiù) apt to (lose one's temper, catch a cold etc)
at the drop of a hat

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Characters in this entry

動: dòng · move, happen; movement, action
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
动: dòng · move, happen; movement, action

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

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Mandarin tones

4–5–4 · dong4 bu5 dong4

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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.

動不動 · find source passages ↗ · 动不动 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dung6 bat1 dung6

Cantonese word readings for 動不動. 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.

adv

(usually of something undesirable) often; frequently; happening easily

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

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