DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

藕斷絲連

简藕断丝连 · 繁藕斷絲連

Mandarin · pinyin ǒu duàn sī lián

lit. lotus roots may break, but the fiber remains joined (idiom); lovers part, but still long for one another

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Characters in this entry

藕: ǒu · lotus root
斷: Look up this written character
絲: Look up this written character
連: Look up this written character
断: duàn · sever, cut off; interrupt
丝: sī · silk; fine thread; wire; strings
连: lián · join, connect; continuous; even

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–1–2 · ou3 duan4 si1 lian2

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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.

藕斷絲連 · find source passages ↗ · 藕断丝连 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngau5 dyun6 si1 lin4

Cantonese word readings for 藕斷絲連. 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) the ties are severed, but not completely; to still have a thing for somebody; to still pine for somebody

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

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