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謔而不虐

简谑而不虐 · 繁謔而不虐

Mandarin · pinyin xuè ér bù nüè

to tease
to mock sb without offending
to banter

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Characters in this entry

謔: Look up this written character
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
虐: nüè · cruel, harsh, oppressive
谑: xuè · jeer

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–4 · xue4 er2 bu4 nu:e4

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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.

謔而不虐 · find source passages ↗ · 谑而不虐 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

joek6 ji4 bat1 joek6

Cantonese word readings for 謔而不虐. 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 joke or tease without embarrassing or hurting others

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

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