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不卑不亢

bù bēi bù kàngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
neither servile nor overbearing (idiom) / neither obsequious nor supercilious
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-20c9a15dae706856. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

不卑不亢 不卑不亢 [bu4 bei1 bu4 kang4] /neither servile nor overbearing (idiom)/neither obsequious nor supercilious/

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.

  • 不
    bù

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

  • 卑
    bēi

    low / base / vulgar / inferior / humble

  • 不
    bù

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

  • 亢
    kàng

    high / overbearing / excessive

    Kàng

    surname Kang / Kang, one of the 28 constellations

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.