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興師問罪

简兴师问罪 · 繁興師問罪

Mandarin · pinyin xīng shī wèn zuì

to send punitive forces against
(fig.) to criticize violently

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Characters in this entry

興: xìng · thrive, prosper, flourish
師: shī · teacher, master, specialist; multitude, troops; hexagram ䷆
問: wèn · ask (about), inquire after
罪: zuì · crime, sin, vice; evil; hardship
兴: xìng · thrive, prosper, flourish
师: shī · teacher, master, specialist
问: wèn · ask about, inquire after

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–4 · xing1 shi1 wen4 zui4

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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.

興師問罪 · find source passages ↗ · 兴师问罪 · 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 strongly condemn someone for their fault

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

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