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翹尾巴

简翘尾巴 · 繁翹尾巴

Mandarin · pinyin qiào wěi ba

to be cocky

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Characters in this entry

翹: Look up this written character
尾: wěi · tail, extremity; end, stern; 6th lunar mansion, determinative star μ¹ Scorpii (Xamidimura)
巴: bā · greatly desire, anxiously hope
翘: qiào · turn up, lift, elevate, raise

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–5 · qiao4 wei3 ba5

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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 · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

kiu4 mei5 baa1

Cantonese word readings for 翹尾巴. 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.

verb

(figuratively) to be cocky; to be haughty and snooty

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

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