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反覆無常

简反复无常 · 繁反覆無常

Mandarin · pinyin fǎn fù wú cháng

unstable
erratic
changeable
fickle

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Characters in this entry

反: fǎn · reverse, opposite, contrary, anti
覆: fù · cover; tip over; return; reply
無: Look up this written character
常: cháng · common, normal, frequent, regular
复: fù · return; repeat; repeatedly
无: wú · negative, no, not; Kangxi radical 71

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–2 · fan3 fu4 wu2 chang2

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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.

反覆無常 · find source passages ↗ · 反复无常 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

faan2 fuk1 mou4 soeng4

Cantonese word readings for 反覆無常. 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) to be capricious; to be erratic; to be fickle

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

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