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李代桃僵

Mandarin · pinyin lǐ dài táo jiāng

lit. the plum tree withers in place of the peach tree
to substitute one thing for another
to carry the can for sb

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Characters in this entry

李: lǐ · plum; judge; surname
代: dài · replace, replacement (of person or generation); era, generation
桃: táo · peach; marriage; surname
僵: jiāng · stiff and motionless, stock still

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–1 · li3 dai4 tao2 jiang1

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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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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to substitute one for another
(idiomatic) to carry the can for someone; to take punishment in place of someone

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

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