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拘泥

Mandarin · pinyin jū nì

to be a stickler for formalities
to rigidly adhere to
to cling to
constrained
ill at ease

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Characters in this entry

拘: jū · restrain, seize, detain
泥: ní · mud, mire; earth, clay; plaster

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

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Mandarin tones

1–4 · ju1 ni4

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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 · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

keoi1 nai4

Cantonese word readings for 拘泥. 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 rigidly adhere to; to rely solely on; to cling to

adj

stubborn; inflexible; particular
reserved; unnatural; constrained

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

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