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中流砥柱

Mandarin · pinyin zhōng liú dǐ zhù

mainstay
cornerstone
tower of strength

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Characters in this entry

中: zhōng · central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain
流: liú · flow, circulate, drift; class
砥: dǐ · a whetstone; to polish
柱: zhù · pillar, post; support; lean on

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–3–4 · zhong1 liu2 di3 zhu4

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zung1 lau4 dai2 cyu5

Cantonese word readings for 中流砥柱. 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

(figurative) mainstay; cornerstone; chief support

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

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