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坐而論道

简坐而论道 · 繁坐而論道

Mandarin · pinyin zuò ér lùn dào

to sit and pontificate; to find answers through theory and not through practice (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

坐: zuò · sit; seat; ride, travel by
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
論: Look up this written character
道: dào · path, road, street; method, way
论: lùn · debate; discuss; discourse

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–4 · zuo4 er2 lun4 dao4

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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.

坐而論道 · find source passages ↗ · 坐而论道 · find source passages ↗

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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

(derogatory) to indulge in empty talk instead of doing anything useful

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

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