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百步穿楊

简百步穿杨 · 繁百步穿楊

Mandarin · pinyin bǎi bù chuān yáng

to shoot with great precision (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

百: bǎi · one hundred; numerous, many
步: bù · step, pace; walk, stroll
穿: chuān · penetrate, pierce, drill; wear
楊: Look up this written character
杨: yáng · willow, poplar, aspen; surname

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–1–2 · bai3 bu4 chuan1 yang2

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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.

百步穿楊 · find source passages ↗ · 百步穿杨 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

baak3 bou6 cyun1 joeng4

Cantonese word readings for 百步穿楊. 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, of archery, gun shooting, basketball, etc.) to shoot with great precision

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

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