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攘外安內

简攘外安内 · 繁攘外安內

Mandarin · pinyin rǎng wài ān nèi

to resist foreign aggression and pacify the interior of the country (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

攘: rǎng · seize, take by force; repel
外: wài · out, outside, external; foreign
安: ān · peaceful, tranquil, quiet
內: nèi · inside, interior; domestic
内: nèi · inside

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–1–4 · rang3 wai4 an1 nei4

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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.

攘外安內 · find source passages ↗ · 攘外安内 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

joeng4 ngoi6 on1 noi6

Cantonese word readings for 攘外安內. 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 repel foreign aggression while pacifying the interior

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

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