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韋編三絕

简韦编三绝 · 繁韋編三絕

Mandarin · pinyin wéi biān sān jué

lit. the leather binding (of the bamboo scroll) has broken three times
fig. to study diligently

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Characters in this entry

韋: Look up this written character
編: Look up this written character
三: sān · three
絕: Look up this written character
韦: wéi · tanned leather; surname; simplified form of Kangxi radical 178
编: biān · knit, weave; arrange; compile
绝: jué · to cut, sever, break off, terminate

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–1–2 · wei2 bian1 san1 jue2

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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.

韋編三絕 · find source passages ↗ · 韦编三绝 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

wai4 pin1 saam1 zyut6

Cantonese word readings for 韋編三絕. 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

(figurative) to study diligently

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

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