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想得美

Mandarin · pinyin xiǎng de měi

to have an unrealistically optimistic expectation; (as an interjection) what a dreamer!

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Characters in this entry

想: xiǎng · think, speculate, plan, consider
得: dé · obtain, get, gain, acquire
美: měi · beautiful, pretty; pleasing

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Mandarin tones

3–5–3 · xiang3 de5 mei3

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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

soeng2 dak1 mei5

Cantonese word readings for 想得美. 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.

verb

Used to express that someone is thinking of something that is favorable but impossible

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

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