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明知故問

简明知故问 · 繁明知故問

Mandarin · pinyin míng zhī gù wèn

(idiom) to ask a question, already knowing the answer

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Characters in this entry

明: míng · bright, light, brilliant; clear
知: zhī · know, perceive, comprehend
故: gù · ancient, old; reason, because
問: wèn · ask (about), inquire after
问: wèn · ask about, inquire after

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–4–4 · ming2 zhi1 gu4 wen4

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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.

明知故問 · find source passages ↗ · 明知故问 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ming4 zi1 gu3 man6

Cantonese word readings for 明知故問. 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 ask intentionally a question one already knows the answer to

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

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