DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

挖

Mandarin · pinyin wā

to dig
to excavate
to scoop out

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挖: wā · dig, dig out, gouge out, scoop

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · wa1

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1character link18same-tone records

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 5 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

waa1 · waat3

Cantonese word readings for 挖. 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.

character · Etymology 1

to dig; to dig out; to gouge out; to scoop
(figurative) to explore; to discover; to go deep into
(Hokkien) to uncover; to unveil; to expose; to reveal

character · Etymology 2

(Hokkien) alternative form of 摀 /𰓆 (“to dig”)

character · Etymology 3

(Hokkien) alternative form of 搤 (iah, “to dig”)

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

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