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循循善誘

简循循善诱 · 繁循循善誘

Mandarin · pinyin xún xún shàn yòu

to guide patiently and systematically (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

循: xún · obey, comply with, follow
善: shàn · good, virtuous, charitable, kind
誘: Look up this written character
诱: yòu · persuade, entice, induce; guide

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–4 · xun2 xun2 shan4 you4

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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.

循循善誘 · find source passages ↗ · 循循善诱 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ceon4 ceon4 sin6 jau5

Cantonese word readings for 循循善誘. 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 teach in a systematic and skilful way

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

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