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張口結舌

简张口结舌 · 繁張口結舌

Mandarin · pinyin zhāng kǒu jié shé

agape and tongue-tied (idiom); at a loss for words
gaping and speechless

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Characters in this entry

張: zhāng · stretch, extend, expand; sheet; 26th lunar mansion, determinative star υ¹ Hydrae
口: kǒu · mouth; open end; entrance, gate
結: jié · knot, tie; join, connect
舌: shé · tongue; clapper of bell; Kangxi radical 135
张: zhāng · stretch, extend, expand; sheet
结: jié · knot, tie; join, connect

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

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Mandarin tones

1–3–2–2 · zhang1 kou3 jie2 she2

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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.

張口結舌 · find source passages ↗ · 张口结舌 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zoeng1 hau2 git3 sit3

Cantonese word readings for 張口結舌. 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) at a loss for words

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

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