DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

成王敗寇

简成王败寇 · 繁成王敗寇

Mandarin · pinyin chéng wáng bài kòu

see 成則為王，敗則為寇 chéng zé wéi wáng, bài zé wéi kòu

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

成: chéng · completed, finished, fixed
王: wáng · king, ruler; royal; surname
敗: Look up this written character
寇: kòu · bandits, thieves; enemy; invade
败: bài · be defeated, decline, fail

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–2–4–4 · cheng2 wang2 bai4 kou4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

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.

成王敗寇 · find source passages ↗ · 成王败寇 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sing4 wong4 baai6 kau3

Cantonese word readings for 成王敗寇. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

proverb

synonym of 成者為王，敗者為寇 /成者为王，败者为寇 (chéng zhě wéi wáng, bài zhě wéi kòu)

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack