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叩頭

简叩头 · 繁叩頭

Mandarin · pinyin kòu tóu

to kowtow (traditional greeting, esp. to a superior, involving kneeling and pressing one's forehead to the ground)
also written 磕頭 kē tóu

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Characters in this entry

叩: kòu · knock, ask; kowtow, bow
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2 · kou4 tou2

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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.

叩頭 · find source passages ↗ · 叩头 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

kau3 tau4

Cantonese word readings for 叩頭. 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.

verb

to kowtow; to kneel and bow low enough to touch one's forehead to the ground
(figurative) to act in a very submissive manner

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

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