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比手劃腳

简比手划脚 · 繁比手劃腳

Mandarin · pinyin bǐ shǒu huà jiǎo

to gesticulate
to make lively gestures (while talking)
also written 比手畫腳

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Characters in this entry

比: bǐ · to compare, liken; comparison; than; hexagram ䷇
手: shǒu · hand
劃: Look up this written character
腳: jiǎo · foot; base, leg, foundation
划: huà · to row or paddle boat; to scratch
脚: jiǎo · leg, foot; base, leg, foundation

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–4–3 · bi3 shou3 hua4 jiao3

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Connected dictionary

5character links1same-tone record

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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.

比手劃腳 · find source passages ↗ · 比手划脚 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bei2 sau2 waak6 goek3

Cantonese word readings for 比手劃腳. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(alt-of, alternative, idiomatic) alternative form of 比手畫腳 /比手画脚 (bǐshǒuhuàjiǎo)

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

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