DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

矛盾

Mandarin · pinyin máo dùn

contradiction
Classifier: 個 gè
conflicting views
contradictory

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Characters in this entry

矛: máo · spear, lance; Kangxi radical 110
盾: dùn · shield, shield-shaped object; currency sign for Dutch guilder

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4 · mao2 dun4

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2character links1same-tone record2source references

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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.

矛盾 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

maau4 teon5

Cantonese word readings for 矛盾. 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.

noun

(idiomatic) contradiction; inconsistency; disagreement; incongruity
(idiomatic) problem; issue; conflict
(logic, philosophy) paradox

adj

(idiomatic) conflicted; vacillating between two options

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

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