DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

獨立自主

简独立自主 · 繁獨立自主

Mandarin · pinyin dú lì zì zhǔ

independent and autonomous (idiom); self-determination
to act independently
to maintain control over one's own affairs

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

獨: Look up this written character
立: lì · stand; let stand; establish, set
自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
主: zhǔ · master, chief owner; host; lord
独: dú · alone, single, solitary, only

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–4–4–3 · du2 li4 zi4 zhu3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

獨立自主 · find source passages ↗ · 独立自主 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to be independent and one's own master
(idiomatic) to pursue a foreign policy of peaceful development, autonomy and self-reliance

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack