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朝令夕改

Mandarin · pinyin zhāo lìng xī gǎi

to make frequent or unpredictable changes in policy (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

朝: cháo · dynasty; morning
令: lìng · command, order; 'commandant', magistrate; allow, cause
夕: xī · evening, night, dusk; slanted
改: gǎi · change, alter; improve, remodel

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4–1–3 · zhao1 ling4 xi1 gai3

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ziu1 ling6 zik6 goi2

Cantonese word readings for 朝令夕改. 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

(of policies or orders) to change frequently and erratically

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

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