See 挾泰山以超北海 on Wiktionary
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"english": "In such a thing as taking the Tai Mountain under your arm, and leaping over the North Sea with it, if you say to people \"I am not able to do it,\" that is a real case of not being able. In such a matter as breaking off a branch from a tree at the order of a superior, if you say to people \"I am not able to do it,\" that is a case of not doing it, it is not a case of not being able to do it. Therefore your Majesty's not exercising the royal sway, is not such a case as that of taking the Tai Mountain under your arm, and leaping over the North Sea with it, but rather a case as that of breaking off a branch.",
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"ref": " Mencius, c. 4ᵗʰ century BCE",
"roman": "Xié Tài shān yǐ chāo běihǎi, yù rén yuē ‘wǒ bùnéng’, shì chéng bùnéng yě. Wèi zhǎngzhě zhé zhī, yù rén yuē ‘wǒ bùnéng’, shì bùwéi yě, fēi bùnéng yě. Gù wáng zhī bù wàng, fēi xié tàishān yǐ chāo běihǎi zhī lèi yě; wáng zhī bù wàng, shì zhé zhī zhī lèi yě.",
"tags": [
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"text": "挾太山以超北海，語人曰『我不能』，是誠不能也。為長者折枝，語人曰『我不能』，是不為也，非不能也。故王之不王，非挾太山以超北海之類也；王之不王，是折枝之類也。",
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"english": "In such a thing as taking the Tai Mountain under your arm, and leaping over the North Sea with it, if you say to people \"I am not able to do it,\" that is a real case of not being able. In such a matter as breaking off a branch from a tree at the order of a superior, if you say to people \"I am not able to do it,\" that is a case of not doing it, it is not a case of not being able to do it. Therefore your Majesty's not exercising the royal sway, is not such a case as that of taking the Tai Mountain under your arm, and leaping over the North Sea with it, but rather a case as that of breaking off a branch.",
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"roman": "Xié Tài shān yǐ chāo běihǎi, yù rén yuē ‘wǒ bùnéng’, shì chéng bùnéng yě. Wèi zhǎngzhě zhé zhī, yù rén yuē ‘wǒ bùnéng’, shì bùwéi yě, fēi bùnéng yě. Gù wáng zhī bù wàng, fēi xié tàishān yǐ chāo běihǎi zhī lèi yě; wáng zhī bù wàng, shì zhé zhī zhī lèi yě.",
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"text": "挟太山以超北海，语人曰『我不能』，是诚不能也。为长者折枝，语人曰『我不能』，是不为也，非不能也。故王之不王，非挟太山以超北海之类也；王之不王，是折枝之类也。",
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"etymology_text": "From Mencius:\n:\n太山 is an obsolete spelling of 泰山 (Tàishān).",
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"literal_meaning": "to hold Mount Tai under the arm and cross the North Sea",
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"synonyms": [
{
"roman": "xiéshānchāohǎi",
"word": "挾山超海"
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{
"roman": "xiéshānchāohǎi",
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"zh-pron": "xié Tàishān yǐ chāo Běihǎi"
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"zh-pron": "ㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄕㄢ ㄧˇ ㄔㄠ ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ"
},
{
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"zh-pron": "hip³ taai³ saan¹ ji⁵ ciu¹ bak¹ hoi²"
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"zh-pron": "xié Tàishān yǐ chāo Běihǎi [Phonetic:xiétàishānyǐchāobéihǎi]"
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"zh-pron": "ㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄕㄢ ㄧˇ ㄔㄠ ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ"
},
{
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"zh-pron": "sié Tàishan yǐ chao Běihǎi"
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],
"zh-pron": "hsieh² Tʻai⁴-shan¹ i³ chʻao¹ Pei³-hai³"
},
{
"tags": [
"Mandarin",
"Yale",
"standard"
],
"zh-pron": "syé Tài-shān yǐ chāu Běi-hǎi"
},
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"Gwoyeu-Romatsyh",
"Mandarin",
"standard"
],
"zh-pron": "shye Tayshan yii chau Beeihae"
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"Palladius",
"standard"
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"zh-pron": "се Тайшань и чао Бэйхай"
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"zh-pron": "se Tajšanʹ i čao Bɛjxaj"
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{
"ipa": "/ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/",
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"zh-pron": "hip⁸ taai³ saan¹ ji⁵ tsiu¹ bak⁷ hoi²"
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"zh-pron": "hib³ tai³ san¹ yi⁵ qiu¹ beg¹ hoi²"
},
{
"ipa": "/hiːp̚³ tʰaːi̯³³ saːn⁵⁵ jiː¹³ t͡sʰiːu̯⁵⁵ pɐk̚⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/",
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"other": "[Phonetic: xiétàishānyǐchāobéihǎi]"
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"ipa": "/ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/"
},
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"ipa": "/hiːp̚³ tʰaːi̯³³ saːn⁵⁵ jiː¹³ t͡sʰiːu̯⁵⁵ pɐk̚⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/"
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"word": "挾泰山以超北海"
}
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"english": "In such a thing as taking the Tai Mountain under your arm, and leaping over the North Sea with it, if you say to people \"I am not able to do it,\" that is a real case of not being able. In such a matter as breaking off a branch from a tree at the order of a superior, if you say to people \"I am not able to do it,\" that is a case of not doing it, it is not a case of not being able to do it. Therefore your Majesty's not exercising the royal sway, is not such a case as that of taking the Tai Mountain under your arm, and leaping over the North Sea with it, but rather a case as that of breaking off a branch.",
"raw_tags": [
"Traditional Chinese poetry",
"Traditional Chinese"
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"ref": " Mencius, c. 4ᵗʰ century BCE",
"roman": "Xié Tài shān yǐ chāo běihǎi, yù rén yuē ‘wǒ bùnéng’, shì chéng bùnéng yě. Wèi zhǎngzhě zhé zhī, yù rén yuē ‘wǒ bùnéng’, shì bùwéi yě, fēi bùnéng yě. Gù wáng zhī bù wàng, fēi xié tàishān yǐ chāo běihǎi zhī lèi yě; wáng zhī bù wàng, shì zhé zhī zhī lèi yě.",
"tags": [
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"text": "挾太山以超北海，語人曰『我不能』，是誠不能也。為長者折枝，語人曰『我不能』，是不為也，非不能也。故王之不王，非挾太山以超北海之類也；王之不王，是折枝之類也。",
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"tags": [
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"text": "挟太山以超北海，语人曰『我不能』，是诚不能也。为长者折枝，语人曰『我不能』，是不为也，非不能也。故王之不王，非挟太山以超北海之类也；王之不王，是折枝之类也。",
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"zh-pron": "xié Tàishān yǐ chāo Běihǎi"
},
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"tags": [
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"zh-pron": "ㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄕㄢ ㄧˇ ㄔㄠ ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ"
},
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"zh-pron": "hip³ taai³ saan¹ ji⁵ ciu¹ bak¹ hoi²"
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"tags": [
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],
"zh-pron": "xié Tàishān yǐ chāo Běihǎi [Phonetic:xiétàishānyǐchāobéihǎi]"
},
{
"tags": [
"Mandarin",
"bopomofo",
"standard"
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"zh-pron": "ㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄕㄢ ㄧˇ ㄔㄠ ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ"
},
{
"tags": [
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"Tongyong-Pinyin",
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"zh-pron": "sié Tàishan yǐ chao Běihǎi"
},
{
"tags": [
"Mandarin",
"Wade-Giles",
"standard"
],
"zh-pron": "hsieh² Tʻai⁴-shan¹ i³ chʻao¹ Pei³-hai³"
},
{
"tags": [
"Mandarin",
"Yale",
"standard"
],
"zh-pron": "syé Tài-shān yǐ chāu Běi-hǎi"
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{
"tags": [
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"zh-pron": "shye Tayshan yii chau Beeihae"
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{
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"zh-pron": "се Тайшань и чао Бэйхай"
},
{
"tags": [
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],
"zh-pron": "se Tajšanʹ i čao Bɛjxaj"
},
{
"ipa": "/ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/",
"tags": [
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"Sinological-IPA",
"standard"
]
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"tags": [
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"zh-pron": "hip taai sāan yíh chīu bāk hói"
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{
"tags": [
"Cantonese",
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"zh-pron": "hip⁸ taai³ saan¹ ji⁵ tsiu¹ bak⁷ hoi²"
},
{
"tags": [
"Cantonese",
"Guangdong-Romanization"
],
"zh-pron": "hib³ tai³ san¹ yi⁵ qiu¹ beg¹ hoi²"
},
{
"ipa": "/hiːp̚³ tʰaːi̯³³ saːn⁵⁵ jiː¹³ t͡sʰiːu̯⁵⁵ pɐk̚⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/",
"tags": [
"Cantonese",
"Sinological-IPA"
]
},
{
"other": "[Phonetic: xiétàishānyǐchāobéihǎi]"
},
{
"ipa": "/ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵ peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/"
},
{
"ipa": "/hiːp̚³ tʰaːi̯³³ saːn⁵⁵ jiː¹³ t͡sʰiːu̯⁵⁵ pɐk̚⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"roman": "xiéshānchāohǎi",
"word": "挾山超海"
},
{
"roman": "xiéshānchāohǎi",
"word": "挟山超海"
}
],
"word": "挾泰山以超北海"
}
Download raw JSONL data for 挾泰山以超北海 meaning in All languages combined (7.0kB)
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"path": [
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"subsection": "",
"title": "挾泰山以超北海",
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"title": "挾泰山以超北海",
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"msg": "HTML tag <b> not properly closed",
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"title": "挾泰山以超北海",
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"path": [
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"section": "Chinese",
"subsection": "",
"title": "挾泰山以超北海",
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{
"called_from": "pronunciations/296/20230324",
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"path": [
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"section": "Chinese",
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"title": "挾泰山以超北海",
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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-20 using wiktextract (074e7de and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.