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張王李趙

简张王李赵 · 繁張王李趙

Mandarin · pinyin Zhāng Wáng Lǐ Zhào

(idiom) any Tom, Dick or Harry; anyone

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Characters in this entry

張: zhāng · stretch, extend, expand; sheet; 26th lunar mansion, determinative star υ¹ Hydrae
王: wáng · king, ruler; royal; surname
李: lǐ · plum; judge; surname
趙: Look up this written character
张: zhāng · stretch, extend, expand; sheet
赵: zhào · surname; ancient state

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–3–4 · Zhang1 Wang2 Li3 Zhao4

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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.

張王李趙 · find source passages ↗ · 张王李赵 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) Zhang, Wang, Li and Zhao (the four most common surnames)
(figurative) common people; people in general

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

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