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失而復得

简失而复得 · 繁失而復得

Mandarin · pinyin shī ér fù dé

to lose sth and then regain it (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

失: shī · lose; make mistake, neglect
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
復: Look up this written character
得: dé · obtain, get, gain, acquire
复: fù · return; repeat; repeatedly

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–2 · shi1 er2 fu4 de2

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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.

失而復得 · find source passages ↗ · 失而复得 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sat1 ji4 fuk6 dak1

Cantonese word readings for 失而復得. 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 regain something after it has been lost

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

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