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Chinese/Dictionary entry

天网恢恢，疏而不漏

tiān wǎng huī huī , shū ér bù lòudictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73) / fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape / you can't run from the long arm of the law
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-5d065381fcc48b19. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

天網恢恢，疏而不漏 天网恢恢，疏而不漏 [tian1 wang3 hui1 hui1 , shu1 er2 bu4 lou4] /lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73)/fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape/you can't run from the long arm of the law/

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: 天網恢恢，疏而不漏

  • 天
    tiān

    day / sky / heaven

  • 网
    wǎng

    net / web / network / to net / to catch with a net

  • 恢
    huī

    (bound form) vast / expansive / (bound form) to restore / to recover

  • 恢
    huī

    (bound form) vast / expansive / (bound form) to restore / to recover

  • 疏
    shū

    to dredge / to clear away obstruction / thin / sparse / scanty / distant (relation) / not close / to neglect / negligent / to present a memorial to the Emperor / commentary / annotation

    Shū

    surname Shu

  • 而
    ér

    and / as well as / and so / but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates causal relation) / (indicates change of state) / (indicates contrast)

  • 不
    bù

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

  • 漏
    lòu

    to leak / to divulge / to leave out by mistake / waterclock or hourglass (old)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.