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曲突徙薪

Mandarin · pinyin qū tū xǐ xīn

lit. to bend the chimney and remove the firewood (to prevent fire) (idiom)
fig. to take preventive measures

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Characters in this entry

曲: qū · crooked, bent; wrong, false
突: tū · suddenly, abruptly, unexpectedly
徙: xǐ · move one's abode, shift, migrate
薪: xīn · fuel, firewood; salary

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Mandarin tones

1–1–3–1 · qu1 tu1 xi3 xin1

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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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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to take preventive measures; to take precautions (to prevent trouble from happening)

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

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