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点头哈腰

diǎn tóu hā yāodictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to nod one's head and bow (idiom) / bowing and scraping / unctuous fawning
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-603ddd118f66f75b. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

點頭哈腰 点头哈腰 [dian3 tou2 ha1 yao1] /to nod one's head and bow (idiom); bowing and scraping/unctuous fawning/

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.

Other forms in these source records: 點頭哈腰

  • 点
    diǎn

    to touch briefly / to tap / to mark with a dot / to check off (on a list) / to order (food etc) / to select / to mention / to bring up (a topic or person) / to hint at / to imply / to administer (eye medicine etc) in drops / to light (a fire, a lamp etc) / to ignite / to nod (one's head) in agreement / to beckon by moving (one's hand) up and down / point / dot / spot / speck / dot stroke in Chinese characters / (math.) decimal point / point in time or space / (after a number) o'clock / a small amount / a bit / (after a verb or adjective) a bit more / classifier for small amounts

  • 头
    tóu

    head / hair style / the top / end / beginning or end / a stub / remnant / chief / boss / side / aspect / first / leading / classifier for pigs or livestock / CL:個|个[gè]

    tou

    suffix for nouns

  • 哈
    hā

    (interj.) ha! / (onom. for laughter) / (slang) to be infatuated with / to adore / (bound form) husky (dog) (abbr. for 哈士奇[hā shì qí])

    hǎ

    a Pekinese / a pug / (dialect) to scold

    Hā

    abbr. for 哈薩克斯坦|哈萨克斯坦[Hā sà kè sī tǎn], Kazakhstan / abbr. for 哈爾濱|哈尔滨[Hā ěr bīn], Harbin

  • 腰
    yāo

    the waist and lower back / (bound form) kidney of an animal (as food) / the waist of trousers or a skirt / (metonym) money pouch / pocket / (bound form) the middle section of an upright object (mountain, bottle etc)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.