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漸行漸遠

简渐行渐远 · 繁漸行漸遠

Mandarin · pinyin jiàn xíng jiàn yuǎn

gradually proceed, gradually get further apart

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Characters in this entry

漸: Look up this written character
行: xíng · go; walk; move, travel; circulate; Kangxi radical 144
遠: yuǎn · distant, remote, far; profound
渐: jiàn · gradually
远: yuǎn · distant, remote, far; profound

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–3 · jian4 xing2 jian4 yuan3

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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.

漸行漸遠 · find source passages ↗ · 渐行渐远 · find source passages ↗

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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 become increasingly distant; to grow apart

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

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