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四分五裂

Mandarin · pinyin sì fēn wǔ liè

(idiom) fragmented; scattered; in disarray; at sixes and sevens

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Characters in this entry

四: sì · four
分: fēn · divide; small unit of time etc.
五: wǔ · five; surname
裂: liè · split, crack, break open; rend

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Mandarin tones

4–1–3–4 · si4 fen1 wu3 lie4

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sei3 fan1 ng5 lit6

Cantonese word readings for 四分五裂. 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 be rent by disunity; to disintegrate

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

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