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裡應外合

简里应外合 · 繁裡應外合

Mandarin · pinyin lǐ yìng wài hé

to coordinate outside and inside offensives (idiom)
(fig.) to act together

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Characters in this entry

裡: Look up this written character
應: yīng · should, ought to, must
外: wài · out, outside, external; foreign
合: hé · combine, unite, join; gather
里: lǐ · unit of distance; village; lane; Kangxi radical 166
应: yīng · should, ought to, must

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–4–2 · li3 ying4 wai4 he2

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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.

裡應外合 · find source passages ↗ · 里应外合 · find source passages ↗

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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 work from the inside in coordination with elements from the outside

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

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