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缺斤少兩

简缺斤少两 · 繁缺斤少兩

Mandarin · pinyin quē jīn shǎo liǎng

to give short weight

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Characters in this entry

缺: quē · be short of, lack; gap, deficit
斤: jīn · a catty (approximately 600 g); an axe; keen, shrewd; Kangxi radical 69
少: shǎo · few, less, inadequate
兩: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
两: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–3–3 · que1 jin1 shao3 liang3

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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.

缺斤少兩 · find source passages ↗ · 缺斤少两 · find source passages ↗

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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 give short weight

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

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