不一而足

Chinese

		varying; differing; different varying; differing; different; not uniform; to vary; to differ	and; as well as; but (not) and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)	foot; to be sufficient
simp. and trad. (不一而足)		不一	而	足

Etymology

The original and literal meaning in the Gongyang was "to not make full (the approval) all at once", i.e., to be conditional and graduated in dispensing approval. It was also written as "不壹而足" in the Gongyang, and typically used in the phrase

許夷狄者不一而足也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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许夷狄者不一而足也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Gongyang, c. 206 BCE– 9 CE

Xǔ yídí zhě bù yī'érzú yě. [Pinyin]

To approve of a barbarian, one does not do so to the full degree all at once.

As chengyu, the phrase has been re-analysed semantically in common usage and shifted in meaning.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): bùyī'érzú

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄨˋ ㄧ ㄦˊ ㄗㄨˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bat¹ jat¹ ji⁴ zuk¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): put-it-jî-chiok / put-it-lî-chiok

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bùyī'érzú
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄨˋ ㄧ ㄦˊ ㄗㄨˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bùyi-érzú
    • Wade–Giles: pu⁴-i¹-êrh²-tsu²
    • Yale: bù-yī-ér-dzú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: buierltzwu
    • Palladius: буиэрцзу (buierczu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pu⁵¹ i⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ t͡su³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bat¹ jat¹ ji⁴ zuk¹
    • Yale: bāt yāt yìh jūk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bat⁷ jat⁷ ji⁴ dzuk⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: bed¹ yed¹ yi⁴ zug¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚⁵ jiː²¹ t͡sʊk̚⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: put-it-jî-chiok
    • Tâi-lô: put-it-jî-tsiok
    • Phofsit Daibuun: put'itjiciog
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /put̚³²⁻⁴ it̚³²⁻⁴ zi²³⁻³³ t͡siɔk̚³²/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: put-it-lî-chiok
    • Tâi-lô: put-it-lî-tsiok
    • Phofsit Daibuun: put'itliciog
    • IPA (Xiamen): /put̚³²⁻⁴ it̚³²⁻⁴ li²⁴⁻²² t͡siɔk̚³²/

Idiom

不一而足

1. cannot be described only by one example; by no means an isolated case; to be numerous; innumerable