LookupMandarin · 繁體 · English

ChineseCharactersMeanings inMandarin–English · CC-CEDICTSources ↗

DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

數典忘祖

简数典忘祖 · 繁數典忘祖

Mandarin · pinyin shǔ diǎn wàng zǔ

to recount history but omit one's ancestors (idiom); to forget one's roots

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

數: shù · number; several; count; fate
典: diǎn · law, canon; documentation; classic, scripture
忘: wàng · forget; neglect; miss, omit
祖: zǔ · ancestor, forefather; grandfather
数: shù · number; several, count; fate

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3–3–4–3 · shu3 dian3 wang4 zu3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sou2 din2 mong4 zou2

Cantonese word readings for 數典忘祖. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

sou2 din2 mong4 zou2

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to forget one's roots
(idiomatic) to be ignorant of the history of one's own country or ancestors

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack