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機不可失

简机不可失 · 繁機不可失

Mandarin · pinyin jī bù kě shī

No time to lose! (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

機: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly
失: shī · lose; make mistake, neglect
机: jī · desk; machine; moment

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4–3–1 · ji1 bu4 ke3 shi1

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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.

機不可失 · find source passages ↗ · 机不可失 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gei1 bat1 ho2 sat1

Cantonese word readings for 機不可失. 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) one must not lose a good opportunity

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

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