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防微杜漸

简防微杜渐 · 繁防微杜漸

Mandarin · pinyin fáng wēi dù jiàn

to nip in the bud (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

防: fáng · defend; prevent; embankment
微: wēi · small, prefix micro-, trifling
杜: dù · stop, prevent; restrict; surname
漸: Look up this written character
渐: jiàn · gradually

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–4–4 · fang2 wei1 du4 jian4

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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.

防微杜漸 · find source passages ↗ · 防微杜渐 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fong4 mei4 dou6 zim6

Cantonese word readings for 防微杜漸. 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 nip in the bud; to put an end to a bad thing or mistake when it germinates

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

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