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當機立斷

简当机立断 · 繁當機立斷

Mandarin · pinyin dāng jī lì duàn

to make prompt decisions (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

當: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
機: Look up this written character
立: lì · stand; let stand; establish, set
斷: Look up this written character
当: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
机: jī · desk; machine; moment
断: duàn · sever, cut off; interrupt

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–4 · dang1 ji1 li4 duan4

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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.

當機立斷 · find source passages ↗ · 当机立断 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dong1 gei1 laap6 dyun6

Cantonese word readings for 當機立斷. 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 be decisive and make a decision promptly at a critical moment
(literally) of an electronic device: crashed and immediately disconnected

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

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