無事不登三寶殿
简 无事不登三宝殿 · 繁 無事不登三寶殿Meanings
- lit. one doesn't visit a temple without a cause (idiom)
- fig. to visit sb with an ulterior motive (esp. to ask for sth)
Characters in this entry
- 無
- Look up this written character
- 事
- shì · affair, matter, business; to serve; accident, incident
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 登
- dēng · rise, mount, board, climb
- 三
- sān · three
- 寶
- Look up this written character
- 殿
- diàn · hall; palace; temple
- 无
- wú · negative, no, not; Kangxi radical 71
- 宝
- bǎo · treasure, jewel; precious, rare
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2–4–4–1–1–3–4 · wu2 shi4 bu4 deng1 san1 bao3 dian4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
無事不登三寶殿 · find source passages ↗ · 无事不登三宝殿 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
mou4 si6 bat1 dang1 saam1 bou2 din6
Cantonese word readings for 無事不登三寶殿. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (figurative) One would not go to someone's place except on business, for help, etc. / I wouldn't come to you if I hadn't something to ask of you.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack