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盤根錯節

简盘根错节 · 繁盤根錯節

Mandarin · pinyin pán gēn cuò jié

twisted roots and intertwined joints (idiom); complicated and very tricky
knotty and deeply-rooted difficulties

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Characters in this entry

盤: Look up this written character
根: gēn · root, base(d on); foundation
錯: cuò · error, blunder, mistake, wrong
節: Look up this written character
盘: pán · tray, plate, dish; examine
错: cuò · error, blunder, mistake; wrong
节: jié · knot, node, joint; section

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–4–2 · pan2 gen1 cuo4 jie2

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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.

盤根錯節 · find source passages ↗ · 盘根错节 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

pun4 gan1 co3 zit3

Cantonese word readings for 盤根錯節. 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) great tangled root system; complicated affair; complicated and difficult to deal with

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

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