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誓不兩立

简誓不两立 · 繁誓不兩立

Mandarin · pinyin shì bù liǎng lì

the two cannot exist together (idiom); irreconcilable differences
incompatible standpoints

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Characters in this entry

誓: shì · swear, pledge; oath
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
兩: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
立: lì · stand; let stand; establish, set
两: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–3–4 · shi4 bu4 liang3 li4

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5character links1same-tone record

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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.

誓不兩立 · find source passages ↗ · 誓不两立 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sai6 bat1 loeng5 laap6

Cantonese word readings for 誓不兩立. 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) mutually exclusive; extremely antagonistic; irreconcilable

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

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