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拖泥带水

tuō ní dài shuǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) muddy and wet / (idiom) (of speech, writing etc) slovenly / sloppy / (of actions) indecisive
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-9b51774b97df5d18. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

拖泥帶水 拖泥带水 [tuo1 ni2 dai4 shui3] /(idiom) muddy and wet/(idiom) (of speech, writing etc) slovenly; sloppy; (of actions) indecisive/

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: 拖泥帶水

  • 拖
    tuō

    to drag / to tow / to trail / to hang down / to mop (the floor) / to delay / to drag on

  • 泥
    ní

    mud / clay / paste / pulp

    nì

    restrained

  • 带
    dài

    band / belt / girdle / ribbon / tire / area / zone / region / CL:條|条[tiáo] / to wear / to carry / to take along / to bear (i.e. to have) / to lead / to bring / to look after / to raise

  • 水
    shuǐ

    water / (after a name) ... River / to swim (used mostly in 會水|会水[huì shuǐ] and 水性[shuǐ xìng]) / (coll.) lacking in substance / shoddy / (bound form) additional cost / extra income / classifier for washings of a garment

    Shuǐ

    surname Shui / Shui ethnic group

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.