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可乘之機

简可乘之机 · 繁可乘之機

Mandarin · pinyin kě chéng zhī jī

(idiom) an opportunity that someone (usually a villain or adversary) can exploit

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Characters in this entry

可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly
乘: chéng · ride, ascend; avail oneself of; numerary adjunct for vehicles
之: zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
機: Look up this written character
机: jī · desk; machine; moment

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

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Mandarin tones

3–2–1–1 · ke3 cheng2 zhi1 ji1

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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.

可乘之機 · find source passages ↗ · 可乘之机 · 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) opportunity that can be exploited to one's advantage

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

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