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自食其力

Mandarin · pinyin zì shí qí lì

lit. to eat off one's own strength (idiom)
fig. to stand on one's own feet
to earn one's own living

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Characters in this entry

自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
食: shí · eat; meal; food; Kangxi radical 184
其: qí · his, her, its, their; that
力: lì · power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–2–4 · zi4 shi2 qi2 li4

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi6 sik6 kei4 lik6

Cantonese word readings for 自食其力. 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 earn one's own living

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

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