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Mandarin · pinyin tóu pái

tablet announcing the name of leading actor in a theatrical production
by extension, the lead role

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Characters in this entry

頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
牌: pái · signboard, placard
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 · tou2 pai2

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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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