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排頭兵

简排头兵 · 繁排頭兵

Mandarin · pinyin pái tóu bīng

lit. frontline troops
leader
trailblazer
pacesetter

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Characters in this entry

排: pái · row, rank, line
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
兵: bīng · soldier, troops
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–1 · pai2 tou2 bing1

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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.

排頭兵 · find source passages ↗ · 排头兵 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

paai4 tau4 bing1

Cantonese word readings for 排頭兵. 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.

noun

(literal, military) file leader
(figurative) trailblazer; pacesetter; pacemaker; vanguard

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

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