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投機倒把

简投机倒把 · 繁投機倒把

Mandarin · pinyin tóu jī dǎo bǎ

to engage in speculation and profiteering

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Characters in this entry

投: tóu · throw, cast, fling, pitch; jump
機: Look up this written character
倒: dào · fall over; lie down; take turns
把: bǎ · hold, take; guard; regard as
机: jī · desk; machine; moment

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–3–3 · tou2 ji1 dao3 ba3

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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.

投機倒把 · find source passages ↗ · 投机倒把 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

tau4 gei1 dou2 baa2

Cantonese word readings for 投機倒把. 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) to engage in speculation and profiteering, especially when against the law in a planned economy

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

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