The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

冤有头，债有主

yuān yǒu tóu , zhài yǒu zhǔdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
for every grievance someone is responsible, for every debt there is a debtor (idiom) / when settling disputes one should not involve third parties
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-68712dbd73852f67. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

冤有頭，債有主 冤有头，债有主 [yuan1 you3 tou2 , zhai4 you3 zhu3] /for every grievance someone is responsible, for every debt there is a debtor (idiom)/when settling disputes one should not involve third parties/

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: 冤有頭，債有主

  • 冤
    yuān

    injustice / grievance / wrong

  • 有
    yǒu

    to have / there is / (bound form) having / with / -ful / -ed / -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)

  • 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

  • 债
  • 有
    yǒu

    to have / there is / (bound form) having / with / -ful / -ed / -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)

  • 主
    zhǔ

    owner / master / host / individual or party concerned / God / Lord / main / to indicate or signify / trump card (in card games)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.