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舉棋不定

简举棋不定 · 繁舉棋不定

Mandarin · pinyin jǔ qí bù dìng

to hesitate over what move to make (idiom); to waver
to shilly-shally

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Characters in this entry

舉: Look up this written character
棋: qí · chess; any game similar to chess
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
定: dìng · decide, settle, fix
举: jǔ · raise, lift up; recommend

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

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Mandarin tones

3–2–4–4 · ju3 qi2 bu4 ding4

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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.

舉棋不定 · find source passages ↗ · 举棋不定 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

geoi2 kei4 bat1 ding6

Cantonese word readings for 舉棋不定. 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 be hesitant on what action to take

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

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