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翻來覆去

简翻来覆去 · 繁翻來覆去

Mandarin · pinyin fān lái fù qù

to toss and turn (sleeplessly)
again and again

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Characters in this entry

翻: fān · flip over, upset, capsize
來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
覆: fù · cover; tip over; return; reply
去: qù · go away, leave, depart
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–4 · fan1 lai2 fu4 qu4

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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.

翻來覆去 · find source passages ↗ · 翻来覆去 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

faan1 lai4 fuk1 heoi2

Cantonese word readings for 翻來覆去. 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) toss and turn sleeplessly
(idiomatic) repeat; again and again

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

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