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手不釋卷

简手不释卷 · 繁手不釋卷

Mandarin · pinyin shǒu bù shì juàn

lit. always with a book in hand (idiom)
fig. (of a student or scholar) diligent and hardworking

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Characters in this entry

手: shǒu · hand
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
釋: Look up this written character
卷: juǎn · scroll; curl; make a comeback
释: shì · interpret, elucidate; release

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–4–4 · shou3 bu4 shi4 juan4

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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.

手不釋卷 · find source passages ↗ · 手不释卷 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sau2 bat1 sik1 gyun2

Cantonese word readings for 手不釋卷. 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) diligent and eager to study; studious

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

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