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文質彬彬

简文质彬彬 · 繁文質彬彬

Mandarin · pinyin wén zhì bīn bīn

refined in manner
gentle

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Characters in this entry

文: wén · literature, culture, writing
質: Look up this written character
彬: bīn · cultivated, well-bred
质: zhì · matter, material, substance

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4–1–1 · wen2 zhi4 bin1 bin1

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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.

文質彬彬 · find source passages ↗ · 文质彬彬 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

man4 zat1 ban1 ban1

Cantonese word readings for 文質彬彬. 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) gentle; refined in manner
(literary, originally) well balanced between literary talent and simplicity; displaying literary talent yet not frivolous

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

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