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一塌糊塗

简一塌糊涂 · 繁一塌糊塗

Mandarin · pinyin yī tā hú tu

muddled and completely collapsing (idiom); in an awful condition
complete shambles
a total mess

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
塌: tā · fall in ruins, collapse
糊: hú · paste, stick on with paste
塗: Look up this written character
涂: tú · surname; name of certain rivers

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–2–5 · yi1 ta1 hu2 tu5

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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.

一塌糊塗 · find source passages ↗ · 一塌糊涂 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 taap3 wu4 tou4

Cantonese word readings for 一塌糊塗. 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.

phrase

(idiomatic) in a complete mess; in an awful condition; a kettle of fish
(Wu) extremely; tremendously

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

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