DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

按部就班

Mandarin · pinyin àn bù jiù bān

(idiom) to follow the prescribed order; to keep to the working routine

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

按: àn · put hand on, press down with hand
部: bù · part, division, section
就: jiù · just, simply; to come, go to; to approach, near
班: bān · class, group, grade; squad; job

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–4–1 · an4 bu4 jiu4 ban1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links1same-tone record

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.

按部就班 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

on3 bou6 zau6 baan1

Cantonese word readings for 按部就班. 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.

phrase

(idiomatic) to do something in an orderly manner; to follow the prescribed order
(figurative) to keep to the conventional ways

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

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