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笨蛋

Mandarin · pinyin bèn dàn

(mild insult) fool; idiot
(playful) silly person

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Characters in this entry

笨: bèn · foolish, stupid, dull; awkward
蛋: dàn · eggs; term of abuse

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4 · ben4 dan4

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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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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ban6 daan2

Cantonese word readings for 笨蛋. 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

(informal) fool; idiot; silly (person)
(term of affection) kid; kiddo

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

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