"韋編三絕" meaning in All languages combined

See 韋編三絕 on Wiktionary

Phrase [Chinese]

IPA: /weɪ̯³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕy̯ɛ³⁵/ [Mandarin, Standard-Chinese, Sinological-IPA], /wɐi̯²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡syːt̚²/ [Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological-IPA], /wɐi̯¹³ pʰiːn⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡syːt̚²/ [Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological-IPA] Forms: 韦编三绝 [Simplified-Chinese], 三絕韋編
Etymology: From the story of Confucius studying the Classic of Changes so diligently that the tanned leather threads which connected the bamboo slips broke several times. Directly from: : Note that in Classical Chinese 三 may also mean many instead of being exactly three. Head templates: {{head|zh|idiom}} 韋編三絕
  1. (figurative) to study diligently Wikipedia link: Classic of Changes, Xici Tags: figuratively, idiomatic
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      "english": "In his old age Confucius loved to study the Book of Changes and wrote commentaries titled Tuan (Commentary on the Judgment), Xici (Commentary on the Appended Phrases), Xiang (lit. image), Shuogua (lit. Explanation of the Trigrams) and Wenyan (Commentary on the Words). He studied this book so much that the leather thongs binding the wooden strips wore out thrice.",
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      "ref": " The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE",
      "roman": "Kǒngzǐ wǎn ér xǐ Yì, xù Tuàn, Xì, Xiàng, Shuōguà, Wényán. Dú Yì, wéibiān sān jué.",
      "tags": [
        "Pinyin",
        "Traditional-Chinese"
      ],
      "text": "孔子晚而喜易,序彖、繫、象、說卦、文言。讀易,韋編三絕。",
      "type": "quote"
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      "tags": [
        "Pinyin",
        "Simplified-Chinese"
      ],
      "text": "孔子晚而喜易,序彖、系、象、说卦、文言。读易,韦编三绝。",
      "type": "quote"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the story of Confucius studying the Classic of Changes so diligently that the tanned leather threads which connected the bamboo slips broke several times.\nDirectly from:\n:\nNote that in Classical Chinese 三 may also mean many instead of being exactly three.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "韦编三绝",
      "tags": [
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    },
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      "form": "三絕韋編"
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  "lang_code": "zh",
  "literal_meaning": "the leather binding (of the bamboo scroll) has broken three times",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Cantonese chengyu",
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        "to study diligently"
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          "study",
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      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) to study diligently"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
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      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Classic of Changes",
        "Xici"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wéibiānsānjué"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "ㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄧㄢ ㄙㄢ ㄐㄩㄝˊ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶"
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        "Cantonese",
        "Jyutping"
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      "zh_pron": "wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶"
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        "Pinyin"
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        "Mandarin",
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    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Tongyong-Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wéibiansanjyué"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Wade-Giles"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wei²-pien¹-san¹-chüeh²"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wéi-byān-sān-jywé"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Gwoyeu-Romatsyh"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "weibiansanjyue"
    },
    {
      "roman": "vɛjbjanʹsanʹczjue",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Palladius"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "вэйбяньсаньцзюэ"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/weɪ̯³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕy̯ɛ³⁵/",
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        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
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        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wàih pīn sāam jyuht"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wáih pīn sāam jyuht"
    },
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        "Hong Kong"
      ],
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        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Cantonese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ dzyt⁹"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Cantonese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ dzyt⁹"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Guangdong-Romanization"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wei⁴ pin¹ sam¹ jud⁶"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Guangdong-Romanization"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wei⁵ pin¹ sam¹ jud⁶"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/wɐi̯²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡syːt̚²/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/wɐi̯¹³ pʰiːn⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡syːt̚²/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
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        "Guangzhou",
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      ]
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  ],
  "word": "韋編三絕"
}
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      "english": "In his old age Confucius loved to study the Book of Changes and wrote commentaries titled Tuan (Commentary on the Judgment), Xici (Commentary on the Appended Phrases), Xiang (lit. image), Shuogua (lit. Explanation of the Trigrams) and Wenyan (Commentary on the Words). He studied this book so much that the leather thongs binding the wooden strips wore out thrice.",
      "raw_tags": [
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      ],
      "ref": " The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE",
      "roman": "Kǒngzǐ wǎn ér xǐ Yì, xù Tuàn, Xì, Xiàng, Shuōguà, Wényán. Dú Yì, wéibiān sān jué.",
      "tags": [
        "Pinyin",
        "Traditional-Chinese"
      ],
      "text": "孔子晚而喜易,序彖、繫、象、說卦、文言。讀易,韋編三絕。",
      "type": "quote"
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      "tags": [
        "Pinyin",
        "Simplified-Chinese"
      ],
      "text": "孔子晚而喜易,序彖、系、象、说卦、文言。读易,韦编三绝。",
      "type": "quote"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the story of Confucius studying the Classic of Changes so diligently that the tanned leather threads which connected the bamboo slips broke several times.\nDirectly from:\n:\nNote that in Classical Chinese 三 may also mean many instead of being exactly three.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "韦编三绝",
      "tags": [
        "Simplified-Chinese"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "三絕韋編"
    }
  ],
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      "expansion": "韋編三絕",
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  ],
  "lang": "Chinese",
  "lang_code": "zh",
  "literal_meaning": "the leather binding (of the bamboo scroll) has broken three times",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
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        "Cantonese chengyu",
        "Cantonese idioms",
        "Cantonese lemmas",
        "Chinese chengyu",
        "Chinese entries with incorrect language header",
        "Chinese idioms",
        "Chinese lemmas",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 三",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 絕",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 編",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 韋",
        "Chinese terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "Mandarin chengyu",
        "Mandarin idioms",
        "Mandarin lemmas",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to study diligently"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "study",
          "study"
        ],
        [
          "diligently",
          "diligently"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) to study diligently"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Classic of Changes",
        "Xici"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wéibiānsānjué"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "ㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄧㄢ ㄙㄢ ㄐㄩㄝˊ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wéibiānsānjué"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "ㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄧㄢ ㄙㄢ ㄐㄩㄝˊ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Tongyong-Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wéibiansanjyué"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Wade-Giles"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wei²-pien¹-san¹-chüeh²"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wéi-byān-sān-jywé"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Gwoyeu-Romatsyh"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "weibiansanjyue"
    },
    {
      "roman": "vɛjbjanʹsanʹczjue",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Palladius"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "вэйбяньсаньцзюэ"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/weɪ̯³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕy̯ɛ³⁵/",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wàih pīn sāam jyuht"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wáih pīn sāam jyuht"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Cantonese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ dzyt⁹"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Cantonese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ dzyt⁹"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Guangdong-Romanization"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wei⁴ pin¹ sam¹ jud⁶"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Guangdong-Romanization"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "wei⁵ pin¹ sam¹ jud⁶"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/wɐi̯²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡syːt̚²/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/wɐi̯¹³ pʰiːn⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡syːt̚²/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "韋編三絕"
}

Download raw JSONL data for 韋編三絕 meaning in All languages combined (5.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-08-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-08-02 using wiktextract (99a4ed9 and 3c020d2). 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.

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