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徹頭徹尾

简彻头彻尾 · 繁徹頭徹尾

Mandarin · pinyin chè tóu chè wěi

lit. from head to tail (idiom); thoroughgoing
through and through
out and out
from top to bottom

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Characters in this entry

徹: Look up this written character
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
尾: wěi · tail, extremity; end, stern; 6th lunar mansion, determinative star μ¹ Scorpii (Xamidimura)
彻: chè · penetrate, pervade; penetrating
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–3 · che4 tou2 che4 wei3

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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.

徹頭徹尾 · find source passages ↗ · 彻头彻尾 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cit3 tau4 cit3 mei5

Cantonese word readings for 徹頭徹尾. 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) thoroughgoing; through and through

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

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