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左支右絀

简左支右绌 · 繁左支右絀

Mandarin · pinyin zuǒ zhī yòu chù

to be in straitened circumstances

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Characters in this entry

左: zuǒ · left; east; unorthodox, improper
支: zhī · disperse, pay; support; branch
右: yòu · right; west; right-wing
絀: Look up this written character
绌: chù · sew, stitch; insufficient

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

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Mandarin tones

3–1–4–4 · zuo3 zhi1 you4 chu4

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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.

左支右絀 · find source passages ↗ · 左支右绌 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zo2 zi1 jau6 zyut3

Cantonese word readings for 左支右絀. 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 be lacking in resources to deal with every problem at once

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

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