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泥牛入海

Mandarin · pinyin ní niú rù hǎi

lit. a clay ox enters the sea (idiom); fig. to disappear with no hope of returning

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Characters in this entry

泥: ní · mud, mire; earth, clay; plaster
牛: niú · cow, ox, bull; Kangxi radical 93; 9th lunar mansion, determinative star β Capricorni (Dabih)
入: rù · enter, come in(to), join
海: hǎi · sea, ocean; maritime

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–3 · ni2 niu2 ru4 hai3

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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

(idiomatic) gone forever and without a trace

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

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