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指手畫腳

简指手画脚 · 繁指手畫腳

Mandarin · pinyin zhǐ shǒu huà jiǎo

to gesticulate while talking (idiom)
to explain by waving one's hands
to criticize or give orders summarily

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Characters in this entry

指: zhǐ · finger, toe; point, indicate
手: shǒu · hand
畫: huà · delineate, painting, picture, drawing; draw
腳: jiǎo · foot; base, leg, foundation
画: huà · a painting, picture, drawing; to draw
脚: jiǎo · leg, foot; base, leg, foundation

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–4–3 · zhi3 shou3 hua4 jiao3

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6character links1same-tone record

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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.

指手畫腳 · find source passages ↗ · 指手画脚 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to gesticulate; to make gestures
(figuratively) to make indiscreet remarks or criticisms

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

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