DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

撲朔迷離

简扑朔迷离 · 繁撲朔迷離

Mandarin · pinyin pū shuò mí lí

impossible to unravel
confusing

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

撲: Look up this written character
朔: shuò · first day of lunar month; the north
迷: mí · bewitch, charm, infatuate
離: Look up this written character
扑: pū · pound, beat, strike; attack
离: lí · rare beast; strange; elegant

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–4–2–2 · pu1 shuo4 mi2 li2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

撲朔迷離 · find source passages ↗ · 扑朔迷离 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

pok3 sok3 mai4 lei4

Cantonese word readings for 撲朔迷離. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) confusing; bewildering

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack