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軟硬兼施

简软硬兼施 · 繁軟硬兼施

Mandarin · pinyin ruǎn yìng jiān shī

use both carrot and stick
use gentle methods and force
an iron hand in a velvet glove

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Characters in this entry

軟: Look up this written character
硬: yìng · hard, firm, strong; obstinate
兼: jiān · unite, combine; connect; and
施: shī · grant, bestow; give; act; name
软: ruǎn · soft, flexible, pliable; weak

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–1–1 · ruan3 ying4 jian1 shi1

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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.

軟硬兼施 · find source passages ↗ · 软硬兼施 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jyun5 ngaang6 gim1 si1

Cantonese word readings for 軟硬兼施. 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) use the carrot and stick

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

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