DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

自作自受

Mandarin · pinyin zì zuò zì shòu

(idiom) to reap what one has sown; to stew in one's own juice

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
作: zuò · make; work; compose, write; act, perform
受: shòu · receive, accept, get; bear, stand

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–4–4 · zi4 zuo4 zi4 shou4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

自作自受 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi6 zok3 zi6 sau6

Cantonese word readings for 自作自受. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) as one sows, so shall one reap; to reap what one sows; you've made your bed, now lie in it

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack