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多如牛毛

Mandarin · pinyin duō rú niú máo

(lit.) as numerous as the hairs of an ox (idiom)
(fig.) innumerable; countless

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Characters in this entry

多: duō · much, many; more than, over
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
牛: niú · cow, ox, bull; Kangxi radical 93; 9th lunar mansion, determinative star β Capricorni (Dabih)
毛: máo · hair, fur, feathers; coarse

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–2–2 · duo1 ru2 niu2 mao2

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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 · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

do1 jyu4 ngau4 mou4

Cantonese word readings for 多如牛毛. 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

(simile) extremely numerous

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

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