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矯枉過正

简矫枉过正 · 繁矯枉過正

Mandarin · pinyin jiǎo wǎng guò zhèng

to overcorrect (idiom)
to overcompensate

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Characters in this entry

矯: Look up this written character
枉: wǎng · useless, in vain; bent, crooked
過: guò · pass, pass through, go across
正: zhèng · right, proper, correct
矫: jiǎo · correct, rectify, straighten out
过: guò · pass, pass through, go across

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–4–4 · jiao3 wang3 guo4 zheng4

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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.

矯枉過正 · find source passages ↗ · 矫枉过正 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

giu2 wong2 gwo3 zing3

Cantonese word readings for 矯枉過正. 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 overcorrect; to hypercorrect; to overcompensate

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

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