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臭味相投

Mandarin · pinyin chòu wèi xiāng tóu

to share vile habits
partners in notoriety
birds of a feather

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Characters in this entry

臭: chòu · smell, stink, emit foul odor
味: wèi · taste, smell, odor; delicacy
相: xiāng · mutual, reciprocal, each other
投: tóu · throw, cast, fling, pitch; jump

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–1–2 · chou4 wei4 xiang1 tou2

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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

cau3 mei6 soeng1 tau4

Cantonese word readings for 臭味相投. 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 · Etymology 1

(derogatory, of bad people) to share common bad interests and tastes and get along

phrase · Etymology 2

(idiomatic) to share common interests and aspirations and get along

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

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