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自導自演

简自导自演 · 繁自導自演

Mandarin · pinyin zì dǎo zì yǎn

to direct a movie in which one also plays a major role as an actor
(fig.) to plan and execute a scheme all by oneself

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Characters in this entry

自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
導: Look up this written character
演: yǎn · perform, put on; exercise
导: dǎo · direct, guide, lead, conduct

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–4–3 · zi4 dao3 zi4 yan3

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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.

自導自演 · find source passages ↗ · 自导自演 · 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 direct (a show) and act by oneself; to stage (a farce) all by oneself; false flag

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

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