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繩墨

简绳墨 · 繁繩墨

Mandarin · pinyin shéng mò

lit. carpenter's straight line marker
same as 墨斗
fig. rules
rules and regulations

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Characters in this entry

繩: Look up this written character
墨: mò · ink; writing
绳: shéng · rope, string, cord; control

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4 · sheng2 mo4

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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.

繩墨 · find source passages ↗ · 绳墨 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sing4 mak6

Cantonese word readings for 繩墨. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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.

noun

(literary, Xiamen and Zhangzhou Hokkien) carpenter's ink marker (inked cord stretched tight then lowered onto timber)
(figuratively) rules and regulations

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

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