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近在咫尺

Mandarin · pinyin jìn zài zhǐ chǐ

(idiom) very close; almost within reach; close at hand

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Characters in this entry

近: jìn · near, close; approach; intimate
在: zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
咫: zhǐ · foot measure of Zhou dynasty
尺: chǐ · Chinese measure approx. 'foot'

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–3–3 · jin4 zai4 zhi3 chi3

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gan6 zoi6 zi2 cek3

Cantonese word readings for 近在咫尺. 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) very near in distance; at one's elbow

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

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