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寸步不離

简寸步不离 · 繁寸步不離

Mandarin · pinyin cùn bù bù lí

to follow sb closely (idiom)
to keep close to

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Characters in this entry

寸: cùn · inch; small, tiny; Kangxi radical 41
步: bù · step, pace; walk, stroll
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
離: Look up this written character
离: lí · rare beast; strange; elegant

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–2 · cun4 bu4 bu4 li2

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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.

寸步不離 · find source passages ↗ · 寸步不离 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cyun3 bou6 bat1 lei4

Cantonese word readings for 寸步不離. 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 tag; to follow closely

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

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