一頭霧水

Chinese

		a head full of	fog; mist; water droplets in fog fog; mist; water droplets in fog; dew
trad. (一頭霧水)		一頭	霧水
simp. (一头雾水)		一头	雾水

Etymology

From Cantonese.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yītóuwùshuǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄧ ㄊㄡˊ ㄨˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jat¹ tau⁴ mou⁶ seoi²
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chi̍t-thâu-bū-chúi

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yītóuwùshuǐ [Phonetic: yìtóuwùshuǐ]
    • Zhuyin: ㄧ ㄊㄡˊ ㄨˋ ㄕㄨㄟˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yitóuwùshuěi
    • Wade–Giles: i¹-tʻou²-wu⁴-shui³
    • Yale: yī-tóu-wù-shwěi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: itourwuhshoei
    • Palladius: итоуушуй (itouušuj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ u⁵¹ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jat¹ tau⁴ mou⁶ seoi²
    • Yale: yāt tàuh mouh séui
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jat⁷ tau⁴ mou⁶ soey²
    • Guangdong Romanization: yed¹ teo⁴ mou⁶ sêu²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐt̚⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ mou̯²² sɵy̯³⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chi̍t-thâu-bū-chúi
    • Tâi-lô: tsi̍t-thâu-bū-tsuí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: cidtau'buxzuie
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² tʰau²⁴⁻²² bu²²⁻²¹ t͡sui⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sit̚²⁴⁻² tʰau²⁴⁻²² bu⁴¹⁻²² t͡sui⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ tʰau¹³⁻²² bu²²⁻²¹ t͡sui⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² tʰau²⁴⁻¹¹ bu³³⁻¹¹ t͡sui⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sit̚⁴⁻³² tʰau²³⁻³³ bu³³⁻²¹ t͡sui⁴¹/

Idiom

一頭霧水

1. to be completely muddle-headed; to be baffled