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拾金不昧

Mandarin · pinyin shí jīn bù mèi

to pick up money and not hide it (idiom); to return property to its owner

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Characters in this entry

拾: shí · pick up, collect, tidy up; accounting form of the numeral ten
金: jīn · gold; metals in general; money; Kangxi radical 167
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
昧: mèi · obscure, dark; darken

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–4–4 · shi2 jin1 bu4 mei4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sap6 gam1 bat1 mui6

Cantonese word readings for 拾金不昧. 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 not pocket the money or other valuables one picks up; to return lost property to its owner

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

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