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口誅筆伐

简口诛笔伐 · 繁口誅筆伐

Mandarin · pinyin kǒu zhū bǐ fá

to condemn in speech and in writing (idiom)
to denounce by word and pen

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Characters in this entry

口: kǒu · mouth; open end; entrance, gate
誅: Look up this written character
筆: bǐ · writing brush; write; stroke
伐: fá · cut down, subjugate, attack
诛: zhū · execute, kill, put to death; punish
笔: bǐ · writing brush; write; stroke

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

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Mandarin tones

3–1–3–2 · kou3 zhu1 bi3 fa2

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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.

口誅筆伐 · find source passages ↗ · 口诛笔伐 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hau2 zyu1 bat1 fat6

Cantonese word readings for 口誅筆伐. 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 condemn in speech and writing; to denounce by word and pen

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

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