底線

简 底线 · 繁 底線
Mandarin · pinyin dǐ xiàn

Meanings

  1. bottom line; the limit of what one is prepared to accept
  2. (sports) baseline
  3. (sewing) under thread
  4. spy; informer; plant
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Characters in this entry

底
dǐ · bottom, underneath, underside
線
Look up this written character
线
xiàn · line, thread, wire; clue
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–4 · di3 xian4

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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.

底線 · find source passages ↗ · 底线 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 5 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dai2 sin3

Cantonese word readings for 底線. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

  1. (sports) baseline
  2. (sewing) lower thread
  3. (figurative) threshold; limit; bottom line
  4. (Mainland China, espionage) planted agent
  5. (Taiwan, typography and computing) underscore

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

底線 · di3 xian4
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 38,328
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record底線 底线 [di3 xian4] /bottom line; the limit of what one is prepared to accept/(sports) baseline/(sewing) under thread/spy; informer; plant/