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言教不如身教

Mandarin · pinyin yán jiào bù rú shēn jiào

Explaining in words is not as good as teaching by example (idiom). Action speaks louder than words.

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Characters in this entry

言: yán · words, speech; speak, say; Kangxi radical 149
教: jiào · teach, class
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
身: shēn · body; trunk, hull; Kangxi radical 158

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4–4–2–1–4 · yan2 jiao4 bu4 ru2 shen1 jiao4

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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 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jin4 gaau3 bat1 jyu4 san1 gaau3

Cantonese word readings for 言教不如身教. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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