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反客為主

简反客为主 · 繁反客為主

Mandarin · pinyin fǎn kè wéi zhǔ

lit. the guest acts as host (idiom); fig. to turn from passive to active behavior

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Characters in this entry

反: fǎn · reverse, opposite, contrary, anti
客: kè · guest, traveller; customer
為: Look up this written character
主: zhǔ · master, chief owner; host; lord
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

3–4–2–3 · fan3 ke4 wei2 zhu3

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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.

反客為主 · find source passages ↗ · 反客为主 · 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 the tables; to turn from passive to active behaviour

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

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