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另起爐灶

简另起炉灶 · 繁另起爐灶

Mandarin · pinyin lìng qǐ lú zào

lit. to set up a separate kitchen (idiom); to start from scratch
back to square one
to start of on a new path

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Characters in this entry

另: lìng · another, separate, other
起: qǐ · rise, stand up; go up; begin
爐: Look up this written character
灶: zào · kitchen stove, cooking stove
炉: lú · fireplace, stove, oven, furnace

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–2–4 · ling4 qi3 lu2 zao4

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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.

另起爐灶 · find source passages ↗ · 另起炉灶 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(figurative) to start again
(figurative) to establish another separate entity or business

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

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