解鈴還須繫鈴人
简 解铃还须系铃人 · 繁 解鈴還須繫鈴人Meanings
- lit. whoever hung the bell on the tiger's neck must untie it (idiom)
- fig. whoever started the trouble should end it
Characters in this entry
- 解
- jiě · loosen, unfasten, untie; explain; hexagram ䷧
- 鈴
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- 還
- hái · still, yet, also, besides
- 須
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- 繫
- Look up this written character
- 人
- rén · man; people; mankind; someone else
- 铃
- líng · bell
- 还
- hái · still, yet, also, besides
- 须
- xū · must, have to, necessary
- 系
- xì · system; line, link, connection
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
3–2–2–1–4–2–2 · jie3 ling2 hai2 xu1 xi4 ling2 ren2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
解鈴還須繫鈴人 · find source passages ↗ · 解铃还须系铃人 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
gaai2 ling4 waan4 seoi1 hai6 ling4 jan4
Cantonese word readings for 解鈴還須繫鈴人. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) The only one who can fix the problem is the one who created the problem.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack