逐鹿中原

Mandarin · pinyin zhú lù Zhōng yuán

Meanings

  1. lit. hunting deer in the Central Plain (idiom)
  2. fig. to attempt to seize the throne
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Characters in this entry

逐
zhú · chase, expel; one by one
鹿
lù · deer; surname; Kangxi radical 198
中
zhōng · central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain
原
yuán · source, origin, beginning
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–4–1–2 · zhu2 lu4 Zhong1 yuan2

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zuk6 luk6 zung1 jyun4

Cantonese word readings for 逐鹿中原. 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

  1. (idiomatic) to fight for the throne and control over China

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

逐鹿中原 · zhu2 lu4 Zhong1 yuan2
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 107,710
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record逐鹿中原 逐鹿中原 [zhu2 lu4 Zhong1 yuan2] /lit. hunting deer in the Central Plain (idiom)/fig. to attempt to seize the throne/