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搖頭擺尾

简摇头摆尾 · 繁搖頭擺尾

Mandarin · pinyin yáo tóu bǎi wěi

to nod one's head and wag one's tail (idiom)
to be well pleased with oneself
to have a lighthearted air

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Characters in this entry

搖: yáo · wag, swing, wave; shake; scull
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
擺: Look up this written character
尾: wěi · tail, extremity; end, stern; 6th lunar mansion, determinative star μ¹ Scorpii (Xamidimura)
摇: yáo · wag, swing, wave; shake; scull
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
摆: bǎi · put, place; display; swing, sway

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Mandarin tones

2–2–3–3 · yao2 tou2 bai3 wei3

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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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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

to be pleased with oneself; to be uppity

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

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