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軟釘子

简软钉子 · 繁軟釘子

Mandarin · pinyin ruǎn dīng zi

lit. a soft nail
fig. a tactful retort or rejection

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Characters in this entry

軟: Look up this written character
釘: Look up this written character
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
软: ruǎn · soft, flexible, pliable; weak
钉: dīng · nail, spike; pursue closely

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

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Mandarin tones

3–1–5 · ruan3 ding1 zi5

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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.

軟釘子 · find source passages ↗ · 软钉子 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jyun5 deng1 zi2

Cantonese word readings for 軟釘子. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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