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用兵如神

Mandarin · pinyin yòng bīng rú shén

to lead military operations with extraordinary skill

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Characters in this entry

用: yòng · use, employ, apply, operate; use
兵: bīng · soldier, troops
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
神: shén · spirit, god, supernatural being

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Mandarin tones

4–1–2–2 · yong4 bing1 ru2 shen2

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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.

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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

(simile) to direct military operations with extraordinary skill

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

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