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跌宕

Mandarin · pinyin diē dàng

uninhibited
free and unconstrained
rhythmical

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Characters in this entry

跌: diē · dié · stumble, slip, fall down; stamp
宕: dàng · stone quarry; cave dwelling

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4 · die1 dang4

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2character links1same-tone record

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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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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

adj

(literary, of a person) free and unconstrained; uninhibited
(of music) rhythmical; flowing rhythmically
(of writing) varied; full of twists and turns

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

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