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有始有終

简有始有终 · 繁有始有終

Mandarin · pinyin yǒu shǐ yǒu zhōng

where there's a start, there's a finish (idiom); to finish once one starts sth
to carry things through
I started, so I'll finish.

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Characters in this entry

有: yǒu · have, own, possess; exist
始: shǐ · begin, start; then, only then
終: Look up this written character
终: zhōng · end; finally, in the end

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–3–1 · you3 shi3 you3 zhong1

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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.

有始有終 · find source passages ↗ · 有始有终 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jau5 ci2 jau5 zung1

Cantonese word readings for 有始有終. 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 have a beginning and an end
(idiomatic) to carry something through the end; steadfast to the end

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

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