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獐頭鼠目

简獐头鼠目 · 繁獐頭鼠目

Mandarin · pinyin zhāng tóu shǔ mù

lit. the head of a river deer and the eyes of a rat (idiom)
fig. repulsively ugly and shifty-looking

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Characters in this entry

獐: zhāng · roebuck, hornless river deer
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
鼠: shǔ · rat, mouse; Kangxi radical 208
目: mù · eye; look, see; division, topic; Kangxi radical 109
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

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Mandarin tones

1–2–3–4 · zhang1 tou2 shu3 mu4

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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.

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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) repulsively ugly and sly-looking; ugly and shifty; having a mean physiognomy; obnoxious in appearance and cunning-looking

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

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