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順理成章

简顺理成章 · 繁順理成章

Mandarin · pinyin shùn lǐ chéng zhāng

logical
only to be expected
rational and clearly structured (of text)

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Characters in this entry

順: Look up this written character
理: lǐ · reason, logic; manage
成: chéng · completed, finished, fixed
章: zhāng · composition; chapter, section
顺: shùn · obey, submit to, go along with

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–2–1 · shun4 li3 cheng2 zhang1

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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.

順理成章 · find source passages ↗ · 顺理成章 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

seon6 lei5 sing4 zoeng1

Cantonese word readings for 順理成章. 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 be clearly structured (of a written text)
(idiomatic) to follow as a matter of course; to be logical or rational (of an outcome)

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

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