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左右逢源

Mandarin · pinyin zuǒ yòu féng yuán

lit. to strike water right and left (idiom)
fig. to turn everything into gold
to have everything going one's way
to benefit from both sides

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Characters in this entry

左: zuǒ · left; east; unorthodox, improper
右: yòu · right; west; right-wing
逢: féng · come upon, happen meet; flatter
源: yuán · spring; source, head; surname

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–2 · zuo3 you4 feng2 yuan2

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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.

左右逢源 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zo2 jau6 fung4 jyun4

Cantonese word readings for 左右逢源. 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

(figurative) to be able to achieve success one way or another; to have everything going one's way
(figurative) to butter one's bread on both sides; to be tactful and win advantage from both sides

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

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