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四面楚歌

Mandarin · pinyin sì miàn Chǔ gē

lit. on all sides, the songs of Chu (idiom)
fig. surrounded by enemies, isolated and without help

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Characters in this entry

四: sì · four
面: miàn · face; surface; plane; side, dimension; Kangxi radical 176
楚: chǔ · name of feudal state; clear
歌: gē · song, lyrics; sing, chant; praise

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Mandarin tones

4–4–3–1 · si4 mian4 Chu3 ge1

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sei3 min6 co2 go1

Cantonese word readings for 四面楚歌. 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

(idiomatic) facing hostility, difficulty, or frustration on all sides

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

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