色字頭上一把刀
简 色字头上一把刀 · 繁 色字頭上一把刀Meanings
- lit. there is a knife above the character for lust
- fig. lascivious activities can lead to bitter consequences
Characters in this entry
- 色
- sè · color, tint, hue, shade; form, body; beauty, desire for beauty; Kangxi radical 139
- 字
- zì · letter, character, word
- 頭
- tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
- 上
- shàng · top; superior, highest; go up, send up
- 一
- yī · one; a, an; alone
- 把
- bǎ · hold, take; guard; regard as
- 刀
- dāo · knife; old coin; measure
- 头
- tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4–4–2–4–1–3–1 · se4 zi4 tou2 shang4 yi1 ba3 dao1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
色字頭上一把刀 · find source passages ↗ · 色字头上一把刀 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
sik1 zi6 tau4 soeng6 jat1 baa2 dou1
Cantonese word readings for 色字頭上一把刀. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
proverb
- charming beauty makes men fall
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack