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急轉直下

简急转直下 · 繁急轉直下

Mandarin · pinyin jí zhuǎn zhí xià

to develop rapidly after abrupt turn (idiom); dramatic change

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Characters in this entry

急: jí · quick, quickly; urgent, pressing
轉: Look up this written character
直: zhí · straight, erect, vertical
下: xià · under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down
转: zhuǎn · shift, move, turn

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

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Mandarin tones

2–3–2–4 · ji2 zhuan3 zhi2 xia4

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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.

急轉直下 · find source passages ↗ · 急转直下 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gap1 zyun2 zik6 haa6

Cantonese word readings for 急轉直下. 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 suddenly and rapidly worsen or deteriorate; to take a turn for the worse

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

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