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吞吞吐吐

Mandarin · pinyin tūn tūn tǔ tǔ

to hum and haw (idiom); to mumble as if hiding sth
to speak and break off, then start again
to hold sth back

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Characters in this entry

吞: tūn · swallow; absorb, annex, engulf
吐: tǔ · vomit, spew out, cough up

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Mandarin tones

1–1–3–3 · tun1 tun1 tu3 tu3

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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

tan1 tan1 tou2 tou2

Cantonese word readings for 吞吞吐吐. 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 mutter and mumble; to hum and haw; to stumble over one's words; to speak in a halting way

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

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