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Chinese/Dictionary entry

说曹操曹操就到

shuō Cáo Cāo Cáo Cāo jiù dàodictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives / fig. speak of the devil and he doth appear
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-b28553f108b8bd45. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

說曹操曹操就到 说曹操曹操就到 [shuo1 Cao2 Cao1 Cao2 Cao1 jiu4 dao4] /lit. speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives/fig. speak of the devil and he doth appear/

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: 說曹操曹操就到

  • 说
    shuì

    to persuade

    shuō

    to speak / to talk / to say / to explain / to comment / to scold / to tell off / (bound form) theory / doctrine

  • 曹
    cáo

    class or grade / generation / plaintiff and defendant (old) / government department (old)

    Cáo

    surname Cao / Zhou Dynasty vassal state

  • 操
    cāo

    to grasp / to hold / to operate / to manage / to control / to steer / to exercise / to drill (practice) / to play / to speak (a language)

    cào

    See the full entry for source details.

  • 曹
    cáo

    class or grade / generation / plaintiff and defendant (old) / government department (old)

    Cáo

    surname Cao / Zhou Dynasty vassal state

  • 操
    cāo

    to grasp / to hold / to operate / to manage / to control / to steer / to exercise / to drill (practice) / to play / to speak (a language)

    cào

    See the full entry for source details.

  • 就
    jiù

    (after a suppositional clause) in that case / then / (after a clause of action) as soon as / immediately after / (same as 就是[jiù shì]) merely / nothing else but / simply / just / precisely / exactly / only / as little as / as much as / as many as / to approach / to move towards / to undertake / to engage in / (often followed by 著|着[zhe]) taking advantage of / (of food) to go with / with regard to / concerning / (bound form) to reach / to attain (as in 一蹴而就[yī cù ér jiù]) / (pattern: 就[jiù] ... 也[yě] ...) even if ... still ... / (pattern: 不[bù] ... 就[jiù] ...) if not ... then must be ...

  • 到
    dào

    to reach / to arrive / to leave for / to go to / to (a place) / until (a time) / up to (a point) / (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point) / considerate / thoughtful / thorough

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.