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形影不離

简形影不离 · 繁形影不離

Mandarin · pinyin xíng yǐng bù lí

inseparable (as form and shadow)

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Characters in this entry

形: xíng · form, shape, appearance
影: yǐng · shadow; image, reflection; photograph
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

2–3–4–2 · xing2 ying3 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.

形影不離 · find source passages ↗ · 形影不离 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jing4 jing2 bat1 lei4

Cantonese word readings for 形影不離. 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) inseparable like form and shadow

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

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