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禮義廉恥

简礼义廉耻 · 繁禮義廉恥

Mandarin · pinyin lǐ yì lián chǐ

(idiom) propriety, justice, integrity and a sense of shame (i.e. the four social bonds, 四維 sì wéi)

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Characters in this entry

禮: lǐ · social custom; manners; courtesy; rites
義: Look up this written character
廉: lián · upright, honorable, honest
恥: Look up this written character
礼: lǐ · social custom; manners; courtesy; rites
义: yì · right conduct, righteousness
耻: chǐ · shame, humiliation; ashamed

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–3 · li3 yi4 lian2 chi3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lai5 ji6 lim4 ci2

Cantonese word readings for 禮義廉恥. 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.

noun

the four social bonds (propriety, justice, integrity and honor)

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

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