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尖酸刻薄

Mandarin · pinyin jiān suān kè bó

sharp and unkind (words)

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Characters in this entry

尖: jiān · sharp, pointed, acute, keen
酸: suān · tart, sour; acid; stiff; spoiled
刻: kè · carve, engrave; quarter hour
薄: báo · bó · thin, slight, weak; poor, stingy

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–2 · jian1 suan1 ke4 bo2

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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

zim1 syun1 hak1 bok6

Cantonese word readings for 尖酸刻薄. 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) acrid and unsympathetic; sharp and unkind; merciless; pitiless

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

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