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安身立命

Mandarin · pinyin ān shēn lì mìng

(idiom) to settle down and pursue one's path in life

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Characters in this entry

安: ān · peaceful, tranquil, quiet
身: shēn · body; trunk, hull; Kangxi radical 158
立: lì · stand; let stand; establish, set
命: mìng · life; destiny, fate, luck; an order, instruction

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–4 · an1 shen1 li4 ming4

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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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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to settle down and get on with one's pursuit

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

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