群龍無首
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Chinese[edit]
crowd; flock; group | dragon; imperial; surname | not have | head; chief; first (occasion) head; chief; first (occasion); first (thing); measure word for poems | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
trad. (群龍無首/羣龍無首) | 群/羣 | 龍 | 無 | 首 | |
simp. (群龙无首) | 群 | 龙 | 无 | 首 |
Etymology[edit]
From I Ching, Hexagram 1 (《易经·乾卦》):
- 用九:見群龍无首,吉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: I Ching, 11th – 8th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Yòng jiǔ: jiàn qún lóng wú shǒu, jí. [Pinyin]
- (The lines of this hexagram are all strong and undivided, as appears from) the use of the number NINE. If the host of dragons (thus) appearing were to divest themselves of their heads, there would be good fortune.
用九:见群龙无首,吉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
This term has been reinterpreted by taking 首 (shǒu) as "leader".
Pronunciation[edit]
Idiom[edit]
群龍無首
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