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良禽擇木而棲

简良禽择木而栖 · 繁良禽擇木而棲

Mandarin · pinyin liáng qín zé mù ér qī

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
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
棲: Look up this written character
择: zé · select, choose, pick out
栖: qī · perch; roost; stay

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–2–4–2–1 · liang2 qin2 ze2 mu4 er2 qi1

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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.

良禽擇木而棲 · find source passages ↗ · 良禽择木而栖 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

loeng4 kam4 zaak6 muk6 ji4 cai1

Cantonese word readings for 良禽擇木而棲. 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.

proverb

A talented person is free to choose his own boss.

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

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