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直截了當

简直截了当 · 繁直截了當

Mandarin · pinyin zhí jié liǎo dàng

direct and plainspoken (idiom); blunt
straightforward

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Characters in this entry

直: zhí · straight, erect, vertical
截: jié · cut off, stop, obstruct, intersect
了: le · to finish; particle of completed action
當: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
当: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–3–4 · zhi2 jie2 liao3 dang4

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5character links1same-tone record

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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.

直截了當 · find source passages ↗ · 直截了当 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zik6 zit3 liu5 dong3

Cantonese word readings for 直截了當. 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) direct and plainspoken; straightforward

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

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