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心直口快

Mandarin · pinyin xīn zhí kǒu kuài

frank and outspoken (idiom)
straight speaking
to say what one thinks

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Characters in this entry

心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
直: zhí · straight, erect, vertical
口: kǒu · mouth; open end; entrance, gate
快: kuài · rapid, quick, speedy, fast; soon

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–3–4 · xin1 zhi2 kou3 kuai4

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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 Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sam1 zik6 hau2 faai3

Cantonese word readings for 心直口快. 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) frank and outspoken; plainspoken and straightforward

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

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