DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
成則為王,敗則為寇
简 成则为王,败则为寇 · 繁 成則為王,敗則為寇Mandarin · pinyin chéng zé wéi wáng , bài zé wéi kòu
Meanings
- lit. called a king if successful, called a bandit if defeated (idiom)
- fig. losers are always in the wrong
Characters in this entry
- 成
- chéng · completed, finished, fixed
- 則
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- 為
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- 王
- wáng · king, ruler; royal; surname
- 敗
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- 寇
- kòu · bandits, thieves; enemy; invade
- 则
- zé · rule, law, regulation; grades
- 为
- wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be
- 败
- bài · be defeated, decline, fail
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.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.
成則為王,敗則為寇 · find source passages ↗ · 成则为王,败则为寇 · find source passages ↗