DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

捉摸不定

Mandarin · pinyin zhuō mō bù dìng

(idiom) unpredictable; elusive; hard to pin down

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Characters in this entry

捉: zhuō · grasp, clutch; catch, seize
摸: mō · gently touch with hand; caress
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
定: dìng · decide, settle, fix

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–4 · zhuo1 mo1 bu4 ding4

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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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