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功成不居

gōng chéng bù jūdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
not to claim personal credit for achievement (idiom)
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-fc90340fdf0f476c. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

功成不居 功成不居 [gong1 cheng2 bu4 ju1] /not to claim personal credit for achievement (idiom)/

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.

  • 功
    gōng

    meritorious deed or service / achievement / result / service / accomplishment / work (physics)

  • 成
    chéng

    to succeed / to finish / to complete / to accomplish / to become / to turn into / to be all right / OK! / one tenth

    Chéng

    surname Cheng / short name for Chengdu 成都[Chéng dū]

  • 不
    bù

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

  • 居
    jī

    (archaic) sentence-final particle expressing a doubting attitude

    jū

    (literary) to reside / to live / (bound form) to occupy (a position) / (literary) to store up / (literary) to remain / to stay / (bound form) residence / dwelling / (bound form) used in names of restaurants

    Jū

    surname Ju

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.