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身教勝於言教

简身教胜于言教 · 繁身教勝於言教

Mandarin · pinyin shēn jiào shèng yú yán jiào

teaching by example beats explaining in words (idiom)
action speaks louder than words

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Characters in this entry

身: shēn · body; trunk, hull; Kangxi radical 158
教: jiào · teach, class
勝: shèng · victory; excel, be better than
於: yú · yū · in, at, on; interjection alas!
言: yán · words, speech; speak, say; Kangxi radical 149
胜: shèng · victory; excel, be better than
于: yú · in, on, at; go to; surname

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4–4–2–2–4 · shen1 jiao4 sheng4 yu2 yan2 jiao4

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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.

身教勝於言教 · find source passages ↗ · 身教胜于言教 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

san1 gaau3 sing3 jyu1 jin4 gaau3

Cantonese word readings for 身教勝於言教. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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