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招搖過市

简招摇过市 · 繁招搖過市

Mandarin · pinyin zhāo yáo guò shì

(idiom) to parade oneself ostentatiously about town

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Characters in this entry

招: zhāo · beckon, summon; recruit, levy
搖: yáo · wag, swing, wave; shake; scull
過: guò · pass, pass through, go across
市: shì · market, fair; city, town; trade
摇: yáo · wag, swing, wave; shake; scull
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

1–2–4–4 · zhao1 yao2 guo4 shi4

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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.

招搖過市 · find source passages ↗ · 招摇过市 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to act ostentatiously in public; to flaunt one's scandals

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

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