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指點江山

简指点江山 · 繁指點江山

Mandarin · pinyin zhǐ diǎn jiāng shān

to talk idly about important matters (idiom)
to set the world to rights
to pass judgment on everything

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Characters in this entry

指: zhǐ · finger, toe; point, indicate
點: diǎn · dot, speck, spot; point, degree
江: jiāng · large river; the Yangzi; surname
山: shān · mountain, hill, peak
点: diǎn · dot, speck, spot; point, degree

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–1–1 · zhi3 dian3 jiang1 shan1

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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.

指點江山 · find source passages ↗ · 指点江山 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi2 dim2 gong1 saan1

Cantonese word readings for 指點江山. 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 comment on national affairs

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

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