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及時行樂

简及时行乐 · 繁及時行樂

Mandarin · pinyin jí shí xíng lè

to enjoy the present (idiom); to live happily with no thought for the future
make merry while you can
carpe diem

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Characters in this entry

及: jí · extend; reach; come up to; and
時: shí · time, season; era, age, period
行: xíng · go; walk; move, travel; circulate; Kangxi radical 144
樂: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music
时: shí · time, season; era, age, period
乐: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–2–4 · ji2 shi2 xing2 le4

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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.

及時行樂 · find source passages ↗ · 及时行乐 · 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 make merry while one can; carpe diem

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

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