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百家爭鳴

简百家争鸣 · 繁百家爭鳴

Mandarin · pinyin bǎi jiā zhēng míng

a hundred schools of thought contend (idiom); refers to the classical philosophic schools of the Warring States period 475-221 BC

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Characters in this entry

百: bǎi · one hundred; numerous, many
家: jiā · house, home, residence; family
爭: Look up this written character
鳴: Look up this written character
争: zhēng · dispute, fight, contend, strive
鸣: míng · cry of bird or animal; make sound

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Mandarin tones

3–1–1–2 · bai3 jia1 zheng1 ming2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

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百家爭鳴 · find source passages ↗ · 百家争鸣 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

baak3 gaa1 zang1 ming4

Cantonese word readings for 百家爭鳴. 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) contention of the Hundred Schools of Thought
(idiomatic) to let a hundred schools of thought contend

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

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