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避重就輕

简避重就轻 · 繁避重就輕

Mandarin · pinyin bì zhòng jiù qīng

to avoid the important and dwell on the trivial
to keep silent about major charges while admitting minor ones

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Characters in this entry

避: bì · avoid; turn aside; escape; hide
重: zhòng · heavy, weighty; double
就: jiù · just, simply; to come, go to; to approach, near
輕: qīng · light; easy, simple; gentle
轻: qīng · light; easy, simple; gentle

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–1 · bi4 zhong4 jiu4 qing1

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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.

避重就輕 · find source passages ↗ · 避重就轻 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bei6 cung5 zau6 heng1

Cantonese word readings for 避重就輕. 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 pick only the easy tasks to do; to take the easy way out
(idiomatic) to avoid the major issues and only engage in the trivial ones

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

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