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立竿見影

简立竿见影 · 繁立竿見影

Mandarin · pinyin lì gān jiàn yǐng

(lit.) set up a pole and immediately see its shadow (idiom)
(fig.) to get instant results

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Characters in this entry

立: lì · stand; let stand; establish, set
竿: gān · bamboo pole; penis
見: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
影: yǐng · shadow; image, reflection; photograph
见: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive

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

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Mandarin tones

4–1–4–3 · li4 gan1 jian4 ying3

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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.

立竿見影 · find source passages ↗ · 立竿见影 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

laap6 gon1 gin3 jing2

Cantonese word readings for 立竿見影. 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) producing instant results; having immediate effect

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

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