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藏頭露尾

简藏头露尾 · 繁藏頭露尾

Mandarin · pinyin cáng tóu lù wěi

to hide the head and show the tail (idiom); to give a partial account
half-truths

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Characters in this entry

藏: cáng · hide, conceal; hoard, store up
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
露: lù · dew; bare, open, exposed
尾: wěi · tail, extremity; end, stern; 6th lunar mansion, determinative star μ¹ Scorpii (Xamidimura)
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–3 · cang2 tou2 lu4 wei3

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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.

藏頭露尾 · find source passages ↗ · 藏头露尾 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cong4 tau4 lou6 mei5

Cantonese word readings for 藏頭露尾. 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) to tell part of the truth but not all of it

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

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