痴呆 is also the simplified spelling of 痴獃.

痴呆

Mandarin · pinyin chī dāi

Meanings

  1. stupid; dull
  2. (medicine) dementia
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Characters in this entry

痴
chī · foolish, stupid, dumb, silly
呆
dāi · dull; dull-minded, simple, stupid
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1 · chi1 dai1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

adj

  1. stupid; dull

noun

  1. (pathology) dementia (decline of cognitive function)

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

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