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倒霉

Mandarin · pinyin dǎo méi

to have bad luck
to be out of luck

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Characters in this entry

倒: dào · fall over; lie down; take turns
霉: méi · mildew, mold; moldy, mildewed

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

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Mandarin tones

3–2 · dao3 mei2

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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 · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dou2 mui4

Cantonese word readings for 倒霉. 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.

adj

out of luck; in an unlucky situation
(euphemistic, colloquial, of a woman) on one's period

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

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