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嘴硬心軟

简嘴硬心软 · 繁嘴硬心軟

Mandarin · pinyin zuǐ yìng xīn ruǎn

see 刀子嘴，豆腐心 dāo zi zuǐ, dòu fu xīn

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Characters in this entry

嘴: zuǐ · mouth, lips
硬: yìng · hard, firm, strong; obstinate
心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
軟: Look up this written character
软: ruǎn · soft, flexible, pliable; weak

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–1–3 · zui3 ying4 xin1 ruan3

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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.

嘴硬心軟 · find source passages ↗ · 嘴硬心软 · find source passages ↗

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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) to have a foul mouth hiding a soft heart

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

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