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志不在此

Mandarin · pinyin zhì bù zài cǐ

to have one's ambitions elsewhere (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

志: zhì · purpose, will, determination; annals
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
在: zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
此: cǐ · this, these; in this case, then

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–3 · zhi4 bu4 zai4 ci3

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi3 bat1 zoi6 ci2

Cantonese word readings for 志不在此. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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