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皮包骨頭

简皮包骨头 · 繁皮包骨頭

Mandarin · pinyin pí bāo gǔ tóu

to be all skin and bones (idiom)
also written 皮包骨 pí bāo gǔ

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Characters in this entry

皮: pí · skin, hide, fur, feather; outer
包: bāo · wrap, pack, bundle; package
骨: gǔ · bone; skeleton; frame, framework; Kangxi radical 188
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–3–2 · pi2 bao1 gu3 tou2

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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.

皮包骨頭 · find source passages ↗ · 皮包骨头 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

pei4 baau1 gwat1 tau4

Cantonese word readings for 皮包骨頭. 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

(idiomatic) to be emaciated; to be mere bag of bones

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

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