DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

摸著石頭過河

简摸着石头过河 · 繁摸著石頭過河

Mandarin · pinyin mō zhe shí tou guò hé

to wade across the river, feeling for footholds as one goes (idiom)
to advance cautiously, step by step
to feel one's way forward

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Characters in this entry

摸: mō · gently touch with hand; caress
著: zhù · zhe · manifest; (Cant.) to wear
石: shí · stone, rock, mineral; Kangxi radical 112
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
過: guò · pass, pass through, go across
河: hé · river; stream; the Yellow River
着: zhe · make move, take action
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
过: guò · pass, pass through, go across

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

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Mandarin tones

1–5–2–5–4–2 · mo1 zhe5 shi2 tou5 guo4 he2

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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.

摸著石頭過河 · find source passages ↗ · 摸着石头过河 · find source passages ↗

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