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霸道

Mandarin · pinyin bà dào

the Way of the Hegemon
abbr. for 霸王之道
despotic rule
rule by might
evil as opposed to the Way of the King 王道
overbearing
tyranny
(of liquor, medicine etc) strong
potent

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Characters in this entry

霸: bà · rule by might rather than right
道: dào · path, road, street; method, way

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4 · ba4 dao4

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

baa3 dou6

Cantonese word readings for 霸道. 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.

noun

rule by might (as opposed to the way of a legitimate king who practices benevolent governance); governance in a despotic way

adj

(of a person, method, etc.) overbearing; high-handed

adj

(colloquial, of medicine, alcohol, etc.) strong; potent

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

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