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拗不過

简拗不过 · 繁拗不過

Mandarin · pinyin niù bu guò

can't persuade; unable to make (sb) change their mind; unable to resist (sb)

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Characters in this entry

拗: ào · to pull, drag, break off, to pluck (a flower); bent, warped; perverse, obstinate
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
過: guò · pass, pass through, go across
过: guò · pass, pass through, go across

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

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Mandarin tones

4–5–4 · niu4 bu5 guo4

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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.

拗不過 · find source passages ↗ · 拗不过 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

aau3 bat1 gwo3

Cantonese word readings for 拗不過. 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

to be unable to dissuade

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

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