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精益求精

Mandarin · pinyin jīng yì qiú jīng

(idiom) to constantly seek to improve; to keep perfecting

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Characters in this entry

精: jīng · essence; semen; spirit
益: yì · profit, benefit; advantage; hexagram ䷩
求: qiú · seek; demand, request; beseech

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4–2–1 · jing1 yi4 qiu2 jing1

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zing1 jik1 kau4 zing1

Cantonese word readings for 精益求精. 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 keep on improving; to constantly improve

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

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