DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

屁股決定腦袋

简屁股决定脑袋 · 繁屁股決定腦袋

Mandarin · pinyin pì gu jué dìng nǎo dai

lit. the butt governs the head (idiom)
fig. where one stands depends on where one sits
one's views are shaped by one's circumstances

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

屁: pì · break wind; fart; buttocks
股: gǔ · thighs, haunches, rump; share
決: Look up this written character
定: dìng · decide, settle, fix
腦: Look up this written character
袋: dài · pocket, bag, sack, pouch
决: jué · decide, determine, judge
脑: nǎo · brain

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–5–2–4–3–5 · pi4 gu5 jue2 ding4 nao3 dai5

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

6character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

屁股決定腦袋 · find source passages ↗ · 屁股决定脑袋 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗