DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

敷衍塞責

简敷衍塞责 · 繁敷衍塞責

Mandarin · pinyin fū yǎn sè zé

(idiom) to skimp on the job; to work half-heartedly; not to take the job seriously

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

敷: fū · spread, diffuse; apply, paint
衍: yǎn · overflow, spill over, spread out
塞: sāi · stop up, block, seal, cork; pass, frontier; fortress
責: Look up this written character
责: zé · one's responsibility, duty

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–3–4–2 · fu1 yan3 se4 ze2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

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.

敷衍塞責 · find source passages ↗ · 敷衍塞责 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fu1 hin2 sak1 zaak3

Cantonese word readings for 敷衍塞責. 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 work halfheartedly; to go through the motions; to perform one's duty in a perfunctory manner

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

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