The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

茅塞顿开

máo sè dùn kāidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
murky darkness suddenly opens (idiom) / a sudden flash of insight and all is clear
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-fee0511eea10121b. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

茅塞頓開 茅塞顿开 [mao2 se4 dun4 kai1] /murky darkness suddenly opens (idiom); a sudden flash of insight and all is clear/

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: 茅塞頓開

  • 茅
    máo

    reeds / rushes

    Máo

    surname Mao

  • 塞
    sāi

    to plug / to stop up / to stuff in / (bound form) a stopper / a cork

    sài

    (bound form) strategic stronghold

    sè

    (bound form) to block / to obstruct

  • 顿
    dùn

    to stop / to pause / to arrange / to lay out / to kowtow / to stamp (one's foot) / at once / classifier for meals, beatings, scoldings etc: time, bout, spell, meal

  • 开
    kāi

    to open (transitive or intransitive) / (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start / to turn on / to put in operation / to operate / to run / to boil / to write out (a prescription, check, invoice etc) / (directional complement) away / off / carat (gold) / abbr. for Kelvin, 開爾文|开尔文[Kāi ěr wén] / abbr. for 開本|开本[kāi běn], book format

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.