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圖窮匕見
简 图穷匕见 · 繁 圖窮匕見Mandarin · pinyin tú qióng bǐ xiàn
Meanings
- (lit.) the assassin's dagger, concealed in a map scroll, is suddenly revealed when the map is unrolled (referring to the attempted assassination of Ying Zheng 嬴政 Yíng Zhèng by Jing Ke 荊軻 Jīng Kē in 227 BC) (idiom)
- (fig.) malicious intent suddenly becomes apparent
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Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.
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Mandarin tones
2–2–3–4 · tu2 qiong2 bi3 xian4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.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.
圖窮匕見 · find source passages ↗ · 图穷匕见 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to expose hidden (and usually) malicious intents at the end
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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