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泣不成聲

简泣不成声 · 繁泣不成聲

Mandarin · pinyin qì bù chéng shēng

(idiom) unable to speak through tears; sobbing uncontrollably

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Characters in this entry

泣: qì · cry, sob, weep
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
成: chéng · completed, finished, fixed
聲: shēng · sound, voice, noise; tone; music
声: shēng · sound, voice, noise; tone; music

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–1 · qi4 bu4 cheng2 sheng1

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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.

泣不成聲 · find source passages ↗ · 泣不成声 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jap1 bat1 sing4 sing1

Cantonese word readings for 泣不成聲. 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 choke with sobs; to cry so much that one cannot utter a word

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

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