DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

千絲萬縷

简千丝万缕 · 繁千絲萬縷

Mandarin · pinyin qiān sī wàn lǚ

(idiom) intricately interconnected

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Characters in this entry

千: qiān · thousand; many, numerous; very; (Cant.) a cheater, swindler
絲: Look up this written character
萬: Look up this written character
縷: Look up this written character
丝: sī · silk; fine thread; wire; strings
万: wàn · mò · ten thousand; innumerable
缕: lǚ · thread; detailed, precise

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–3 · qian1 si1 wan4 lu:3

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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.

千絲萬縷 · find source passages ↗ · 千丝万缕 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cin1 si1 maan6 lau5

Cantonese word readings for 千絲萬縷. 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

(idiomatic) inexhaustible; linked in countless ways

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

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