DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
擦邊
简 擦边 · 繁 擦邊Mandarin · pinyin cā biān
Meanings
- to make light contact with the edge of sth
- (fig.) to be nearly (a certain age); to be close to (danger)
- (fig.) to push the boundaries of what is acceptable; to operate in a gray area
- (Internet slang) sexually suggestive; provocative while skirting platform rules or censorship
Characters in this entry
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1–1 · ca1 bian1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
2character links
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.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
verb
- (literally) to touch the side as it edges away; to sideswipe
- (figurative) to be close to; to be slightly higher than
- (figurative) to be marginally relevant
- (Mainland China, Internet slang) to appeal to audience in a suggestive way
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack