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勢如破竹

简势如破竹 · 繁勢如破竹

Mandarin · pinyin shì rú pò zhú

like a hot knife through butter (idiom)
with irresistible force

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Characters in this entry

勢: Look up this written character
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
破: pò · break, ruin, destroy; rout
竹: zhú · bamboo; flute; Kangxi radical 118
势: shì · power, force; tendency

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–2 · shi4 ru2 po4 zhu2

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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.

勢如破竹 · find source passages ↗ · 势如破竹 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sai3 jyu4 po3 zuk1

Cantonese word readings for 勢如破竹. 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

(simile) like a knife through butter; with irresistible force

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

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