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缺一不可

Mandarin · pinyin quē yī bù kě

not a single one is dispensable
can't do without either

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Characters in this entry

缺: quē · be short of, lack; gap, deficit
一: yī · one; a, an; alone
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–3 · que1 yi1 bu4 ke3

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

kyut3 jat1 bat1 ho2

Cantonese word readings for 缺一不可. 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) not a single one is dispensable; none can be absent

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

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