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Chinese/Dictionary entry

自相矛盾

zì xiāng máo dùndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to contradict oneself / self-contradictory / inconsistent
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-af1e65ffe16c6389. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

自相矛盾 自相矛盾 [zi4 xiang1 mao2 dun4] /to contradict oneself/self-contradictory/inconsistent/

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.

  • 自
    zì

    (bound form) self / oneself / from / since / naturally / as a matter of course

  • 相
    xiāng

    each other / one another / mutually / fret on the neck of a pipa 琵琶[pí pa] (a fret on the soundboard is called a 品[pǐn])

    xiàng

    appearance / portrait / picture / government minister / (physics) phase / (literary) to appraise (esp. by scrutinizing physical features) / to read sb's fortune (by physiognomy, palmistry etc)

    Xiāng

    surname Xiang

  • 矛
    máo

    spear / lance / pike / CL:支[zhī]

  • 盾
    dùn

    shield (CL:面[miàn]) / (currency) Vietnamese dong / currency unit of several countries (Indonesian rupiah, Dutch gulden etc)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.