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見風使舵

简见风使舵 · 繁見風使舵

Mandarin · pinyin jiàn fēng shǐ duò

lit. see the wind and set the helm (idiom); fig. to act pragmatically
to be flexible and take advantage of the situation

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Characters in this entry

見: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
風: fēng · wind; air; manners, atmosphere; Kangxi radical 182
使: shǐ · cause, send on a mission, order; envoy, messenger, ambassador
舵: duò · rudder, helm
见: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive
风: fēng · wind; air; manners, atmosphere

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

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Mandarin tones

4–1–3–4 · jian4 feng1 shi3 duo4

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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.

見風使舵 · find source passages ↗ · 见风使舵 · 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 bend with the wind; to change one's position, attitude, behaviour, etc. depending on the situation (usually with negative connotation)

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

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