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潛移默化

简潜移默化 · 繁潛移默化

Mandarin · pinyin qián yí mò huà

imperceptible influence
to influence secretly

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Characters in this entry

潛: Look up this written character
移: yí · change place, shift; move about
默: mò · silent; quiet, still; dark
化: huà · change, convert, reform; -ize
潜: qián · hide; hidden, secret, latent

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–4 · qian2 yi2 mo4 hua4

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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.

潛移默化 · find source passages ↗ · 潜移默化 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cim4 ji4 mak6 faa3

Cantonese word readings for 潛移默化. 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 influence secretly, subtly; to change due to unnoticeable influence

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

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