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安分守己

Mandarin · pinyin ān fèn shǒu jǐ

to be content with one's lot (idiom)
to know one's place

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Characters in this entry

安: ān · peaceful, tranquil, quiet
分: fēn · divide; small unit of time etc.
守: shǒu · defend, protect, guard, conserve
己: jǐ · self, oneself; personal, private; 6th heavenly stem

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4–3–3 · an1 fen4 shou3 ji3

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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.

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

on1 fan6 sau2 gei2

Cantonese word readings for 安分守己. 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 abide by the law and do one's duty; to be content with one's lot

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

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