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斗筲之材

dǒu shāo zhī cáidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
person of limited capacity
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-d1de652448a761a3. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

斗筲之材 斗筲之材 [dou3 shao1 zhi1 cai2] /person of limited capacity/

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.

  • 斗
    dǒu

    dry measure for grain equal to ten 升[shēng] or one-tenth of a 石[dàn] / decaliter / peck / cup or dipper shaped object

    dòu

    to fight / to struggle / to condemn / to censure / to contend / to put together / coming together

    Dǒu

    abbr. for the Big Dipper constellation 北斗星[Běi dǒu xīng]

  • 筲
    shāo

    pot-scrubbing brush made of bamboo strips / basket (container) for chopsticks / basket / bucket

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 材
    cái

    material / timber / ability / aptitude / a capable individual / coffin (old)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.