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引而不发

yǐn ér bù fādictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to pull the bow without shooting (idiom from Mencius) / ready and waiting for action / to go through the motions / to practice / a trial run
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-d6ac6dd5e956d4a8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

引而不發 引而不发 [yin3 er2 bu4 fa1] /to pull the bow without shooting (idiom from Mencius); ready and waiting for action/to go through the motions/to practice/a trial run/

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: 引而不發

  • 引
    yǐn

    to draw (e.g. a bow) / to pull / to stretch sth / to extend / to lengthen / to involve or implicate in / to attract / to lead / to guide / to leave / to provide evidence or justification for / old unit of distance equal to 10 丈[zhàng], one-thirtieth of a km or 33.33 meters

  • 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-

  • 发
    fā

    to send out / to show (one's feeling) / to issue / to develop / to make a bundle of money / classifier for gunshots (rounds)

    fà

    hair / Taiwan pr. [fǎ]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.