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化敵為友

简化敌为友 · 繁化敵為友

Mandarin · pinyin huà dí wéi yǒu

to convert an enemy into a friend (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

化: huà · change, convert, reform; -ize
敵: Look up this written character
為: Look up this written character
友: yǒu · friend, companion; fraternity
敌: dí · enemy, foe, rival; resist
为: wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–2–3 · hua4 di2 wei2 you3

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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.

化敵為友 · find source passages ↗ · 化敌为友 · 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

(idiomatic) to turn an enemy into a friend

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

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