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挖苦

Mandarin · pinyin wā kǔ

to speak sarcastically
to make cutting remarks
also pr. wā ku

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Characters in this entry

挖: wā · dig, dig out, gouge out, scoop
苦: kǔ · bitter; hardship, suffering

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

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Mandarin tones

1–3 · wa1 ku3

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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 · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

waa1 fu2

Cantonese word readings for 挖苦. 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 mock; to ridicule; to have a dig at; to make sarcastic remarks

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

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