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水落石出

Mandarin · pinyin shuǐ luò shí chū

(lit.) as the water recedes, the rocks appear (idiom)
(fig.) the truth comes to light

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Characters in this entry

水: shuǐ · water, liquid, lotion, juice
落: luò · fall, drop; net income, surplus
石: shí · stone, rock, mineral; Kangxi radical 112
出: chū · go out, send out; stand; produce

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–1 · shui3 luo4 shi2 chu1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

seoi2 lok6 sek6 ceot1

Cantonese word readings for 水落石出. 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

(literally) the water recedes and the rocks appear
(figurative) truth being revealed

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

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