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引蛇出洞

Mandarin · pinyin yǐn shé chū dòng

lit. to pull a snake from its hole
to expose a malefactor (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

引: yǐn · to pull, draw out, attract; to stretch
蛇: shé · snake
出: chū · go out, send out; stand; produce
洞: dòng · cave, grotto; ravine; hole

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

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Mandarin tones

3–2–1–4 · yin3 she2 chu1 dong4

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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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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jan5 se4 ceot1 dung6

Cantonese word readings for 引蛇出洞. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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