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振聾發聵

简振聋发聩 · 繁振聾發聵

Mandarin · pinyin zhèn lóng fā kuì

lit. so loud that even the deaf can hear (idiom); rousing even the apathetic

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Characters in this entry

振: zhèn · raise, excite, arouse action
聾: Look up this written character
發: fā · issue, dispatch, send out, emit
聵: Look up this written character
聋: lóng · deaf
发: fā · issue, dispatch, send out; hair
聩: kuì · deaf

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–1–4 · zhen4 long2 fa1 kui4

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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.

振聾發聵 · find source passages ↗ · 振聋发聩 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zan3 lung4 faat3 kui2

Cantonese word readings for 振聾發聵. 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 rouse the deaf and awaken the unhearing; to awaken the deaf; to enlighten the benighted

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

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