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勢單力薄

简势单力薄 · 繁勢單力薄

Mandarin · pinyin shì dān lì bó

(idiom) lacking strength and support

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Characters in this entry

勢: Look up this written character
單: Look up this written character
力: lì · power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19
薄: báo · bó · thin, slight, weak; poor, stingy
势: shì · power, force; tendency
单: dān · single, individual, only; lone

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

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Mandarin tones

4–1–4–2 · shi4 dan1 li4 bo2

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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.

勢單力薄 · find source passages ↗ · 势单力薄 · 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

(of a force or a group) to be small in size and of weak strength

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

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