參差不齊
简 参差不齐 · 繁 參差不齊Meanings
- (idiom) variable
- uneven
- irregular
Characters in this entry
- 參
- Look up this written character
- 差
- chà · chā · to differ; different, wrong; nearly, almost; an officer
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 齊
- qí · even, uniform, of equal length; Kangxi radical 210
- 参
- cān · take part in, intervene; ginseng; 21st lunar mansion, determinative star ζ Orionis (Alnitak)
- 齐
- qí · even, uniform, of equal length
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1–1–4–2 · cen1 ci1 bu4 qi2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
參差不齊 · find source passages ↗ · 参差不齐 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
caam1 ci1 bat1 cai4
Cantonese word readings for 參差不齊. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (literally or figuratively) uneven; not uniform
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack