DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

明察暗訪

简明察暗访 · 繁明察暗訪

Mandarin · pinyin míng chá àn fǎng

open enquiries and secret search (idiom); to investigate openly and in secret
taking information from all sides

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Characters in this entry

明: míng · bright, light, brilliant; clear
察: chá · examine, investigate; notice
暗: àn · dark; obscure; in secret, covert
訪: Look up this written character
访: fǎng · visit; ask, inquire

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–3 · ming2 cha2 an4 fang3

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Connected dictionary

4character links1same-tone record

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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.

明察暗訪 · find source passages ↗ · 明察暗访 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ming4 caat3 am3 fong2

Cantonese word readings for 明察暗訪. 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 observe publicly and investigate privately; to conduct a thorough investigation

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

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