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各取所需

Mandarin · pinyin gè qǔ suǒ xū

each takes what he needs (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

各: gè · each, individually, every, all
取: qǔ · take, receive, obtain; select
所: suǒ · place, location; numerary adjunct
需: xū · need, require, must; hexagram ䷄

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–3–1 · ge4 qu3 suo3 xu1

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gok3 ceoi2 so2 seoi1

Cantonese word readings for 各取所需. 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) each takes what he or she needs

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

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