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良禽擇木

简良禽择木 · 繁良禽擇木

Mandarin · pinyin liáng qín zé mù

a fine bird chooses a tree to nest in (proverb)
fig. a talented person chooses a patron of integrity

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Characters in this entry

良: liáng · good, virtuous, respectable
禽: qín · birds, fowl; surname; capture
擇: Look up this written character
木: mù · tree; wood, lumber; wooden
择: zé · select, choose, pick out

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–2–4 · liang2 qin2 ze2 mu4

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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.

良禽擇木 · find source passages ↗ · 良禽择木 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

loeng4 kam4 zaak6 muk6

Cantonese word readings for 良禽擇木. 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) synonym of 良禽擇木而棲 /良禽择木而栖 (liángqín zé mù ér qī)

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

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