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通权达变

tōng quán dá biàndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to adapt to circumstances
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-f14c03df9482a690. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

通權達變 通权达变 [tong1 quan2 da2 bian4] /to adapt to circumstances/

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: 通權達變

  • 通
    tōng

    to go through / to know well / (suffix) expert / to connect / to communicate / open / to clear / classifier for letters, telegrams, phone calls etc

    tòng

    classifier for an activity, taken in its entirety (tirade of abuse, stint of music playing, bout of drinking etc)

  • 权
    quán

    authority / power / right / (literary) to weigh / expedient / temporary

    Quán

    surname Quan

  • 达
    dá

    to attain / to reach / to amount to / to communicate / eminent

    Dá

    surname Da

  • 变
    biàn

    to change / to become different / to transform / to vary / rebellion

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.