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断章取义

duàn zhāng qǔ yìdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) to quote out of context
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-95aec09063022929. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

斷章取義 断章取义 [duan4 zhang1 qu3 yi4] /(idiom) to quote out of context/

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: 斷章取義

  • 断
    duàn

    to break / to snap / to cut off / to give up or abstain from sth / to judge / (usu. used in the negative) absolutely / definitely / decidedly

  • 章
    zhāng

    chapter / section / clause / movement (of symphony) / seal / badge / regulation / order

    Zhāng

    surname Zhang

  • 取
    qǔ

    to take / to get / to choose / to fetch

  • 义
    yì

    justice / righteousness / meaning / foster (father etc) / adopted / artificial (tooth, limb etc) / relationship / friendship

    Yì

    surname Yi / (Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利|义大利[Yì dà lì])

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.