吞 吞 吐 吐

tūn tūn tǔ tǔdictionary entry

to hum and haw (idiom) / to mumble as if hiding sth / to speak and break off, then start again / to hold sth back

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-20c5c990eb8928cf. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

吞吞吐吐 吞吞吐吐 [tun1 tun1 tu3 tu3] /to hum and haw (idiom); to mumble as if hiding sth/to speak and break off, then start again/to hold sth back/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

吞
tūn
to swallow / to take
吞
tūn
to swallow / to take
吐
tǔ
to spit / to send out (silk from a silkworm, bolls from cotton flowers etc) / to say / to pour out (one's grievances)
tù
to vomit / to throw up
吐
tǔ
to spit / to send out (silk from a silkworm, bolls from cotton flowers etc) / to say / to pour out (one's grievances)
tù
to vomit / to throw up

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.