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苟且偷安

Mandarin · pinyin gǒu qiě tōu ān

seeking only ease and comfort (idiom); making no attempt to improve oneself
taking things easily without attending to responsibilities

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Characters in this entry

苟: gǒu · careless, frivolous; illicit; grammatical particle: if, but, if only; surname; grass name
且: qiě · moreover, also (post-subject); about to, will soon (pre-verb)
偷: tōu · to steal, burglar, thief
安: ān · peaceful, tranquil, quiet

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–1–1 · gou3 qie3 tou1 an1

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gau2 ce2 tau1 on1

Cantonese word readings for 苟且偷安. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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