觀釁伺隙

简 观衅伺隙 · 繁 觀釁伺隙
Mandarin · pinyin guān xìn sì xì

Meanings

  1. lit. to look for holes, and observe gaps (idiom)
  2. fig. to search out one's opponent's weak points
  3. to look for the Achilles' heel
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Characters in this entry

觀
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釁
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伺
cì · serve, wait upon, attend; examine
隙
xì · crack, split, fissure; grudge
观
guān · see, observe, view; appearance
衅
xìn · consecrate sacrificial vessels by smearing blood; rift
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Mandarin tones

1–4–4–4 · guan1 xin4 si4 xi4

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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.

觀釁伺隙 · find source passages ↗ · 观衅伺隙 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gun1 jan6 zi6 kwik1

Cantonese word readings for 觀釁伺隙. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

觀釁伺隙 · guan1 xin4 si4 xi4
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 100,136
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record觀釁伺隙 观衅伺隙 [guan1 xin4 si4 xi4] /lit. to look for holes, and observe gaps (idiom)/fig. to search out one's opponent's weak points/to look for the Achilles' heel/