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秉筆直書

简秉笔直书 · 繁秉筆直書

Mandarin · pinyin bǐng bǐ zhí shū

to record faithfully

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Characters in this entry

秉: bǐng · grasp, hold; bundle; authority
筆: bǐ · writing brush; write; stroke
直: zhí · straight, erect, vertical
書: Look up this written character
笔: bǐ · writing brush; write; stroke
书: shū · book, letter, document; writings

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–2–1 · bing3 bi3 zhi2 shu1

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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.

秉筆直書 · find source passages ↗ · 秉笔直书 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to write the truth without fear or favor; to record faithfully

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

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