DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

頂罪

简顶罪 · 繁頂罪

Mandarin · pinyin dǐng zuì

to take the blame for sb else
to compensate for one's crime
to get charges dropped (by paying money etc)

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

頂: Look up this written character
罪: zuì · crime, sin, vice; evil; hardship
顶: dǐng · top, summit, peak; to carry on the head

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3–4 · ding3 zui4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

2character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

頂罪 · find source passages ↗ · 顶罪 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ding2 zeoi6

Cantonese word readings for 頂罪. 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.

verb

to take the rap for somebody
to offset the responsibility for an offence (e.g. by paying a fine)

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack