阿斗

Chinese

		phonetic; (final part.); (interj.) phonetic; (final part.); (interj.); flatter; an initial particle; prefix to names of people	ladle; dipper; small ladle; dipper; small; big; stars
simp. and trad. (阿斗)		阿	斗

Etymology

From the nickname of the mediocre emperor Liu Shan.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): ādǒu

  (Zhuyin): ㄚ ㄉㄡˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): aa³ dau²
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): â-téu
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): a-táu / a-tió

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: ādǒu
    • Zhuyin: ㄚ ㄉㄡˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: adǒu
    • Wade–Giles: a¹-tou³
    • Yale: ā-dǒu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: adoou
    • Palladius: адоу (adou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀä⁵⁵ toʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: aa³ dau²
    • Yale: a dáu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: aa³ dau²
    • Guangdong Romanization: a³ deo²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /aː³³ tɐu̯³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: â-téu
    • Hakka Romanization System: a^ˊ deu^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: a¹ deu³
    • Sinological IPA: /a²⁴ teu̯³¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: a-táu
    • Tâi-lô: a-táu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: a'dao
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /a⁴⁴⁻²² tau⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: a-tió
    • Tâi-lô: a-tió
    • Phofsit Daibuun: a'dioir
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /a³³ tio⁵⁵⁴/

Noun

阿斗

1. cowardly and incapable person; good-for-nothing

Usage notes

• Sometimes further qualified as 扶不起的阿斗 (fú bù qǐ de ādǒu, “an Ādǒu whom no one can support”).

Synonyms

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• 吃貨／吃货 (chīhuò)
• 廢品／废品 (fèipǐn)
• 沒有用的人／没有用的人 (méiyǒu yòng de rén)
• 混混兒／混混儿 (dialectal)
• 窩囊廢／窝囊废 (wōnangfèi)
• 衣架飯囊／衣架饭囊