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言不由衷

Mandarin · pinyin yán bù yóu zhōng

to say sth without meaning it (idiom); to speak tongue in cheek
saying one thing but meaning sth different

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Characters in this entry

言: yán · words, speech; speak, say; Kangxi radical 149
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
由: yóu · cause, reason; from
衷: zhōng · heart, from bottom of one's heart

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4–2–1 · yan2 bu4 you2 zhong1

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jin4 bat1 jau4 cung1

Cantonese word readings for 言不由衷. 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) to speak insincerely; to speak with one's tongue in one's cheek

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

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