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口头禅

kǒu tóu chándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
Zen saying repeated as cant / (fig.) catchphrase / mantra / favorite expression / stock phrase
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-b172c17b6e5682d3. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

口頭禪 口头禅 [kou3 tou2 chan2] /Zen saying repeated as cant/(fig.) catchphrase; mantra; favorite expression; stock phrase/

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: 口頭禪

  • 口
    kǒu

    mouth / classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc) / classifier for bites or mouthfuls

  • 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

  • 禅
    chán

    dhyana (Sanskrit) / Zen / meditation (Buddhism)

    shàn

    to abdicate

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.