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有恃無恐

简有恃无恐 · 繁有恃無恐

Mandarin · pinyin yǒu shì wú kǒng

secure in the knowledge that one has backing

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Characters in this entry

有: yǒu · have, own, possess; exist
恃: shì · rely on, presume on, trust to
無: Look up this written character
恐: kǒng · fear; fearful, apprehensive
无: wú · negative, no, not; Kangxi radical 71

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–3 · you3 shi4 wu2 kong3

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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.

有恃無恐 · find source passages ↗ · 有恃无恐 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jau5 ci5 mou4 hung2

Cantonese word readings for 有恃無恐. 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 be emboldened in the knowledge that one has backing; to fear nothing with someone at one's back

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

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