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只爭朝夕

简只争朝夕 · 繁只爭朝夕

Mandarin · pinyin zhǐ zhēng zhāo xī

(idiom) to seize every minute; to make the best use of one's time

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Characters in this entry

只: zhǐ · only, just, simply
爭: Look up this written character
朝: cháo · dynasty; morning
夕: xī · evening, night, dusk; slanted
争: zhēng · dispute, fight, contend, strive

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

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Mandarin tones

3–1–1–1 · zhi3 zheng1 zhao1 xi1

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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.

只爭朝夕 · find source passages ↗ · 只争朝夕 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi2 zang1 ziu1 zik6

Cantonese word readings for 只爭朝夕. 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 make the best use of one's time

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

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