DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

故態復萌

简故态复萌 · 繁故態復萌

Mandarin · pinyin gù tài fù méng

to revert to old ways

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

故: gù · ancient, old; reason, because
態: Look up this written character
復: Look up this written character
萌: méng · bud, sprout
态: tài · manner, bearing, attitude
复: fù · return; repeat; repeatedly

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–4–2 · gu4 tai4 fu4 meng2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character 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.

故態復萌 · find source passages ↗ · 故态复萌 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gu3 taai3 fuk6 mang4

Cantonese word readings for 故態復萌. 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) to return to one's old bad habits; to relapse into a former undesirable state

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

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