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抓耳撓腮

简抓耳挠腮 · 繁抓耳撓腮

Mandarin · pinyin zhuā ěr náo sāi

to tweak one's ears and scratch one's cheeks (as an expression of anxiety, delight, frustration etc) (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

抓: zhuā · scratch; clutch, seize, grab
耳: ěr · ear; merely, only; handle; Kangxi radical 128
撓: Look up this written character
腮: sāi · lower part of face; jaw; gills of a fish
挠: náo · scratch; disturb, bother; submit

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

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Mandarin tones

1–3–2–1 · zhua1 er3 nao2 sai1

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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.

抓耳撓腮 · find source passages ↗ · 抓耳挠腮 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zaau2 ji5 naau4 soi1

Cantonese word readings for 抓耳撓腮. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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