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貓哭耗子

简猫哭耗子 · 繁貓哭耗子

Mandarin · pinyin māo kū hào zi

the cat weeps for the dead mouse (idiom); hypocritical pretence of condolence
crocodile tears

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Characters in this entry

貓: māo · cat
哭: kū · weep, cry, wail
耗: hào · consume, use up; waste, squander
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
猫: māo · cat

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–5 · mao1 ku1 hao4 zi5

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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.

貓哭耗子 · find source passages ↗ · 猫哭耗子 · find source passages ↗

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