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冤家宜解不宜结

yuān jiā yí jiě bù yí jiédictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
It is better to squash enmity rather than keeping it alive (proverb)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-12a77b05535825d9. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

冤家宜解不宜結 冤家宜解不宜结 [yuan1 jia1 yi2 jie3 bu4 yi2 jie2] /It is better to squash enmity rather than keeping it alive (proverb)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 冤家宜解不宜結

  • 冤
    yuān

    injustice / grievance / wrong

  • 家
    jiā

    used in 傢伙|家伙[jiā huo] and 傢俱|家俱[jiā jù] / home / family / (polite) my (sister, uncle etc) / classifier for families or businesses / refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China / noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian / CL:個|个[gè]

  • 宜
    yí

    proper / should / suitable / appropriate

    Yí

    surname Yi

  • 解
    jiě

    to divide / to break up / to split / to separate / to dissolve / to solve / to melt / to remove / to untie / to loosen / to open / to emancipate / to explain / to understand / to know / a solution / a dissection

    jiè

    to transport under guard

    xiè

    acrobatic display (esp. on horseback) (old)

    Xiè

    surname Xie

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 宜
    yí

    proper / should / suitable / appropriate

    Yí

    surname Yi

  • 结
    jiē

    (of a plant) to produce (fruit or seeds) / Taiwan pr. [jié]

    jié

    knot / sturdy / bond / to tie / to bind / to check out (of a hotel)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.