DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

問鼎輕重

简问鼎轻重 · 繁問鼎輕重

Mandarin · pinyin wèn dǐng qīng zhòng

lit. to inquire whether the tripods are light or heavy (idiom); a laughable attempt to seize power

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Characters in this entry

問: wèn · ask (about), inquire after
鼎: dǐng · large, three-legged bronze caldron; Kangxi radical 206; hexagram ䷱
輕: qīng · light; easy, simple; gentle
重: zhòng · heavy, weighty; double
问: wèn · ask about, inquire after
轻: qīng · light; easy, simple; gentle

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–1–4 · wen4 ding3 qing1 zhong4

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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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