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宁左勿右

nìng zuǒ wù yòudictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(of one's political views) to prefer left rather than right (idiom during the Cultural Revolution)
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-c37f2aa5198d7f1d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

寧左勿右 宁左勿右 [ning4 zuo3 wu4 you4] /(of one's political views) to prefer left rather than right (idiom during the Cultural Revolution)/

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: 寧左勿右

  • 宁
    zhù

    to store / to stand / space between the door and the entrance screen

    nìng

    would rather / to prefer / how (emphatic) / Taiwan pr. [níng]

    níng

    peaceful / to pacify / to visit (one's parents etc)

    Níng

    abbr. for Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 寧夏回族自治區|宁夏回族自治区[Níng xià Huí zú Zì zhì qū] / abbr. for Nanjing 南京[Nán jīng] / surname Ning

  • 左
    zuǒ

    left / the Left (politics) / east / unorthodox / queer / wrong / differing / opposite

    Zuǒ

    surname Zuo

  • 勿
    wù

    do not

  • 右
    yòu

    (bound form) right / right-hand side / (bound form) (politics) right of center / (bound form) (old) west / (literary) the right side as the side of precedence

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.