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王侯將相

简王侯将相 · 繁王侯將相

Mandarin · pinyin wáng hóu jiàng xiàng

(lit.) kings, nobles, generals and ministers (idiom)
(fig.) people of the highest rank and status; the ruling elite

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Characters in this entry

王: wáng · king, ruler; royal; surname
侯: hóu · marquis, lord; target in archery
將: Look up this written character
相: xiāng · mutual, reciprocal, each other
将: jiāng · will, going to, future; general

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–4 · wang2 hou2 jiang4 xiang4

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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.

王侯將相 · find source passages ↗ · 王侯将相 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

wong4 hau4 zoeng3 soeng3

Cantonese word readings for 王侯將相. 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

(figurative) kings and nobles (in general); royalty and nobility

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

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