戳脊梁骨

Mandarin · pinyin chuō jǐ liang gǔ

Meanings

  1. to criticize behind sb's back
  2. back-biting
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Characters in this entry

戳
chuō · prick, stab; stamp, seal, chop
脊
jǐ · spine, backbone; ridge
梁
liáng · bridge; beam; rafters; surname
骨
gǔ · bone; skeleton; frame, framework; Kangxi radical 188
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–3–5–3 · chuo1 ji3 liang5 gu3

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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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