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因勢利導

简因势利导 · 繁因勢利導

Mandarin · pinyin yīn shì lì dǎo

to take advantage of the new situation (idiom)
to make the best of new opportunities

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Characters in this entry

因: yīn · cause, reason; by; because (of)
勢: Look up this written character
利: lì · gains, advantage, profit, merit
導: Look up this written character
势: shì · power, force; tendency
导: dǎo · direct, guide, lead, conduct

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4–4–3 · yin1 shi4 li4 dao3

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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.

因勢利導 · find source passages ↗ · 因势利导 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jan1 sai3 lei6 dou6

Cantonese word readings for 因勢利導. 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 capitalize on the trend; to make the best of new opportunities

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

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