DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

斗

Mandarin · pinyin dǒu#

dry measure for grain equal to ten 升 shēng or one-tenth of a 石 dàn
decaliter
peck
cup or dipper shaped object
old variant of 陡 dǒu

Mandarin · pinyin Dǒu#

abbr. for the Big Dipper constellation 北斗星 Běi dǒu xīng

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

斗: dòu · dǒu · a dipper; unit of volume (ten 升 or litres); Kangxi radical 68; 8th lunar mansion, determinative star φ Sagittarii

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3 · dou3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link11same-tone records5source references

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.

斗 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 31 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dau2 · dau3

Cantonese word readings for 斗. 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.

character · Etymology 1

(historical) a dipper or cup-like object, used in ancient China as a wine vessel
Any dou-shaped object; dipper, ladle.
Round or spiral shaped; fingerprint (a dactylogram)
Dou, a unit of dry volume especially for grains, roughly equal to 1 decaliter or a peck.
Dou, a unit of weight based on the volume measure.
(figurative) A small amount
(figurative) small, short, narrow (as with a dipper)
(figurative) big, high, to be full of (as with a dipper)
Stars in general.
(北斗) The Big Dipper, an asterism of seven stars.
(～宿) (Chinese astronomy) Dipper (one of Twenty-Eight Mansions)
(南斗) A subconstellation of the above mansion, consisting of six stars.
(小北斗) The Little Dipper, a constellation of six stars.
A Chinese constellation (星官) consisting of five stars.
(abbreviation, alt-of) short for 刁斗 (“cauldron, cymbal”)
(abbreviation, alt-of) short for 科斗 (“tadpole”)
(斗姆) Doumu, a goddess in Taoism.
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 枓 (dǒu, “the system of wood brackets on the top of a column supporting the crossbeam”)
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 陡 (dǒu, “steep, cliffy”)
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 陡 (dǒu, “suddenly, in a sudden”)
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 抖 (dǒu, “to tremble, to shake off”)

character · Etymology 1

A unit of measure for liquids.
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 枓 (“ladle or spoon used for scooping water”)
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 主 (“master, God”)

character · Etymology 1

(Hokkien) time; an instance or occurrence

character · Etymology 5

(Xiamen, Quanzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) snare; trap (especially with a trigger)
(Xiamen, Quanzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) to snare; to catch in a trap; to ensnare
(Xiamen and Taiwanese Hokkien, possibly dated) to catch between two sticks
(Xiamen and Taiwanese Hokkien, possibly dated) to fasten a latch or small bolt
(Taiwanese Hokkien, in general, possibly dated) to engage a trigger with a click sound (of a gun, trap, etc.)
(Taiwanese Hokkien, in general, possibly dated) device with a trigger

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

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