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明察秋毫

Mandarin · pinyin míng chá qiū háo

lit. seeing clearly the downy feathers of autumn (idiom, from Mencius)
fig. perceptive of even the finest detail

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Characters in this entry

明: míng · bright, light, brilliant; clear
察: chá · examine, investigate; notice
秋: qiū · autumn, fall; year
毫: háo · fine hair; measure of length

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–1–2 · ming2 cha2 qiu1 hao2

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ming4 caat3 cau1 hou4

Cantonese word readings for 明察秋毫. 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 perceive the minutest details

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

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