牛頭不對馬嘴
简 牛头不对马嘴 · 繁 牛頭不對馬嘴Meanings
Characters in this entry
- 牛
- niú · cow, ox, bull; Kangxi radical 93; 9th lunar mansion, determinative star β Capricorni (Dabih)
- 頭
- tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 對
- duì · correct, right; facing, opposed
- 馬
- Look up this written character
- 嘴
- zuǐ · mouth, lips
- 头
- tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
- 对
- duì · correct, right; facing, opposed
- 马
- mǎ · horse; surname; Kangxi radical 187
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Mandarin tones
2–2–4–4–3–3 · niu2 tou2 bu4 dui4 ma3 zui3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
牛頭不對馬嘴 · find source passages ↗ · 牛头不对马嘴 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
ngau4 tau4 bat1 deoi3 maa5 zeoi2
Cantonese word readings for 牛頭不對馬嘴. 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) the answer is totally irrelevant to the question; a square peg cannot fit into a round hole; to be beside the point
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack