Chinese Dictionary

Usage of the character 斗

variant of 鬥／斗 (dòu)

abbr. for the Big Dipper constellation 北斗星 ( Běidǒuxīng)

variant of 鬥／斗 (dòu)

variant of 鬭／斗 (dòu)

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

dry measure for grain equal to ten 升 (shēng) or one-tenth of a 石 (dàn)
decaliter
peck
cup or dipper shaped object
old variant of 陡 (dǒu)

clothes iron

to strive; to struggle

to have a fist fight
fist fight
brawl

stars

somersault
fall; tumble
(fig.) setback; failure

to duel
a duel
decisive struggle

to fight

an ancient bamboo container
narrow-mindedness

decaliter

(smoking) pipe

liter and decaliter dry measure
(fig.) meager quantity of foodstuff

to drag sb before a public meeting to denounce, humiliate and physically abuse them (esp. during the Cultural Revolution)

tadpole
also written 蝌蚪 (kēdǒu)

fighting ship

round-bottomed wicker basket

(Tw) (neologism) (Internet slang) to send money to a live streamer (to get a specific response or just to sponsor) (loanword from "donate")

to fight or argue on a blogging site (netspeak)

tumble
somersault

variant of 煙斗／烟斗 (yāndǒu)

Doumen District of Zhuhai City 珠海市 ( Zhūhǎi Shì), Guangdong

to engage (in a fight)

cloak
mantle

to struggle
to fight
struggle

Douliu or Touliu city in Yunlin county 雲林縣／云林县 ( Yúnlínxiàn), Taiwan

armed confrontation
bust-up between gangs

warrior
activist

will to fight
fighting spirit

A-dou, nickname of Liu Shan 劉禪／刘禅 ( Liú Shàn) (207-271), son of Liu Bei, reigned as Shu Han emperor 233-263
(fig.) weak and inept person

leading light (of a generation etc)
(honorific appellation)

to suffer censure
denounced

Great Bear
Big Dipper
Beidou or Peitou Town in Changhua County 彰化縣／彰化县 ( Zhānghuà Xiàn), Taiwan

bailing bucket (tool for irrigating fields)
protruding lower jaw

to have a grudge against

very small room; tiny, cramped space

hopper car
wheelbarrow

to fight
to engage in combat
struggle
battle
CL:場／场 (cháng),次 (cì)

sidecar

(geology) cirque

carpenter's straight line marker (an inked cord stretched tight then lowered onto timber)

battle of wits

handle of the Big Dipper

bullfighting

to be warlike
to be belligerent

clothes iron

(a container) carried suspended or underslung
cable car bucket

a struggle
fight
battle

cock fighting

to fight

round-bottomed basket

boxing

cattle feeder
hopper (wicker basket)

funnel

to wrestle

internal strife
power struggle
(of members of an organization) to fight each other

see 鬥雞眼／斗鸡眼 (dòujīyǎn)

(abbr. for 泰山北斗 ( Tài Shān Běidǒu)) distinguished figure
doyen
revered authority

(courteous) to be so bold as to

open-topped container (mounted on a truck or cart) for carrying loads
dump box (of a dump truck)
bucket (of a front loader)
wheelbarrow

huge

to brawl; to scuffle

variant of 筋斗 (jīndǒu)

to wrestle

conical bamboo hat

Dounan or Tounan town in Yunlin county 雲林縣／云林县 ( Yúnlínxiàn), Taiwan

small open trailer

to quarrel
to bicker
glib repartee

dustpan

interlocking wooden brackets between the top of a column and crossbeams used in traditional Chinese architecture

drawer

Big Dipper and Altair (astronomy)

hard fighting
fierce battle

soldier's copper saucepan, used for cooking food by day and for sounding the night watches during the hours of darkness (in ancient times)

to wrestle; to fight; to struggle

to seize and subject to public criticism (form of persecution during the Cultural Revolution)

Beidou or Peitou Town in Changhua County 彰化縣／彰化县 ( Zhānghuà Xiàn), Taiwan

to tumble
to fall head over heels
(fig.) to take a tumble

cartwheel

chest of drawers

urinal

wrestling ring

dou dizhu ("fight the landlord") (card game)

to tumble
to turn a somersault

warhead

fighting strength

boot camp

bull terrier

struggle, criticize, and transform (Cultural Revolution catchcry)

dòuzhēngxìng

assertiveness
combative nature

Douliu or Touliu city in Yunlin county 雲林縣／云林县 ( Yúnlínxiàn), Taiwan

fight between powerful contenders

to turn a somersault

Quán Dòuhuàn

Chun Doo Hwan (1931-), South Korean politician, president 1980-1988

cross-eye

fighter

Sun Wukong's magical cloud

to quarrel
to bicker
glib repartee

matador
toreador
bullfighter

the Big Dipper
the Plow

funnel cloud

Dounan or Tounan town in Yunlin county 雲林縣／云林县 ( Yúnlínxiàn), Taiwan

internal strife (family, group, etc)

Doumen District of Zhuhai City 珠海市 ( Zhūhǎi Shì), Guangdong

variant of 逗趣兒／逗趣儿 (dòuqùr)

fighter (aircraft)

battleship

gladiator

battle group
naval formation headed by an aircraft carrier

jiānkǔfèndòu

to struggle arduously

kùnshòuyóudòu

a cornered beast will still fight (idiom)
to fight like an animal at bay

liǎnghǔxiāngdòu

lit. two tigers fight (idiom)
fig. a dispute between two powerful adversaries; a battle of the giants

dǒujiǔzhījī

lit. a chicken and a bottle of wine (idiom); fig. ready to make an offering to the deceased, or to entertain guests

chùdòumánzhēng

constant bickering and fighting (idiom); constantly at each other's throats
struggle for personal gain

qìchōngniúdǒu

(idiom) extremely angry; infuriated

jiējídòuzhēng

class struggle

Tài Shān Běidǒu

lit. Mount Tai and the North Star (idiom)
fig. an outstanding figure in one's field

dǒushāozhīcái

person of limited capacity

héngfānjīndǒu

to turn cartwheels

struggle session

fángdúdǒupéng

protective cape

zhēngyándòuyàn

contending for supreme beauty (esp. of flowers, scenery, painting etc)
vying in beauty and glamor

dòuzhì'ángyáng

having high fighting spirit

fāndǒukǎchē

dump truck

gōuxīndòujiǎo

variant of 勾心鬥角／勾心斗角 (gōuxīndòujiǎo)

nèibùdòuzhēng

internal power struggle

Wǔdǒumǐ Dào

Way of the Five Pecks of Rice (Taoist movement)
Way of the Celestial Master

fight self-interest and repudiate revisionism (Cultural Revolution slogan)

chēzàidǒuliáng

lit. measured in cartloads and gallons
fig. by the barrowload (i.e. lots and lots)
innumerable

bànzuǐdòushé

to quarrel

gōuxīndòujiǎo

to fight and scheme against each other (idiom)
(in palace construction) elaborate and refined

dǒushāozhīqì

person narrow-minded and shortsighted

zǐwēidǒushù

Zi Wei Dou Shu, a form of Chinese fortune-telling

huánbǎodòushì

an environmental activist
a fighter for environmental protection

bùdǒutàgāng

to worship the astral deities (idiom, refers to Daoist astrology)

hòufānjīndǒu

backward somersault

cáigāobādǒu

of great talent (idiom)

fǎn Yuándòuzhēng

war of 1915 against Yuan Shikai and for the Republic

Nánjī Běidǒu

lit. the Winnowing Basket in the southern sky, and the Big Dipper in the north (idiom)
fig. sth which, despite its name, is of no practical use

yǐdòuwōzhēng

lit. the ant fights, the snail contends (idiom); fig. petty squabbling

bùgāngtàdǒu

to worship the astral deities (idiom, refers to Daoist astrology)

hézhàndòubù

nuclear warhead

shēngdǒuxiǎomín

(idiom) poor people; those who live from hand to mouth

dǒushāozhīrén

a small-minded person
a bean-counter

xīngyí Dǒuzhuǎn

lit. the Big Dipper 北斗星 ( Běidǒuxīng) has turned and the stars have moved
time flies
also written 斗轉星移／斗转星移 ( Dǒuzhuǎnxīngyí)

zhījīdǒujiǔ

lit. a chicken and a bottle of wine (idiom); fig. ready to make an offering to the deceased, or to entertain guests

to fight alone (idiom)

Dǒuzhuǎnxīngyí

lit. the Big Dipper 北斗星 ( Běidǒuxīng) has turned and the stars have moved
time flies
also written 星移斗轉／星移斗转 (xīngyí Dǒuzhuǎn)

Běidǒu Qīxīng

(astronomy) Big Dipper

zhèngyìdòuzhēng

righteous struggle

míngzhēng'àndòu

(idiom) to fight openly and maneuver covertly

quánlìdòuzhēng

power struggle

kuāduōdòumǐ

(idiom) to use literary phrases in one's writing to show off one's erudition

lóngzhēnghǔdòu

lit. the dragon wars, the tiger battles (idiom); fierce battle between giants

kōngzhōnggédòu

dogfight (of planes)

rénquándòushì

a human rights activist
a fighter for human rights

cock-fighting and horse-racing (idiom); to gamble

Fǎnyòupài Dòuzhēng

反右派斗争

[反右派鬥爭]

Anti-Rightist Movement, Mao's purge of "rightists" after the Hundred Flowers Campaign ended in 1957

zuòshānguānhǔdòu

坐山观虎斗

[坐山觀虎鬥]

lit. sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight (idiom)
fig. watch in safety whilst others fight then reap the rewards when both sides are exhausted

Luómǎdòushòuchǎng

罗马斗兽场

[羅馬鬥獸場]

Colosseum (Rome)

yīduìyīdòuniú

一对一斗牛

[一對一鬥牛]

one-on-one basketball game

Dòuniúshìzhī Gē

斗牛士之歌

[鬥牛士之歌]

Toreador Song (Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre), famous aria from opera Carmen 卡門／卡门 by Georges Bizet

sānduìsāndòuniú

三对三斗牛

[三對三鬥牛]

three-on-three basketball game

huàxuézhàndòubù

化学战斗部

[化學戰斗部]

chemical warhead

wèiwǔdǒumǐzhéyāo

为五斗米折腰

[為五斗米折腰]

(allusion to Tao Qian 陶潛／陶潜 ( Táo Qián), who used this phrase when he resigned from government service rather than show subservience to a visiting inspector) to bow and scrape for five pecks of rice (that being a part of his salary as a local magistrate)
(fig.) to compromise one's principles for the sake of a salary

hǎishuǐbùkědǒuliáng

海水不可斗量

[海水不可斗量]

see 人不可貌相，海水不可斗量 (rénbùkěmàoxiàng,hǎishuǐbùkědǒuliáng)

hǎonánbùgēnnüdòu

好男不跟女斗

[好男不跟女鬥]

a real man doesn't fight with womenfolk (idiom)

fúbùqǐde Adǒu

扶不起的阿斗

[扶不起的阿斗]

weak and inept person
hopeless case

Zhòusīdùn Zhàndòu Xìtǒng

宙斯盾战斗系统

[宙斯盾戰鬥系統]

Aegis Combat System (weapons system developed for the US Navy)

hángkōngmǔjiànzhàndòuqún

航空母舰战斗群

[航空母艦戰鬥群]

carrier-based vanguard group (CBVG)
naval battle group led by an aircraft carrier

Běi Dǒu Wèixīng Dǎoháng Xìtǒng

北斗卫星导航系统

[北斗衛星導航系統]

BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) (similar to GPS)

shēngmìngbùxī,zhàndòubùzhǐ

生命不息，战斗不止

[生命不息，戰鬥不止]

while there is life, the fight continues (idiom); to fight to the last

liǎnghǔxiāngdòu,bìyǒuyīshāng

两虎相斗，必有一伤

[兩虎相鬥，必有一傷]

lit. when two tigers fight, one will get injured (idiom)
fig. if it comes to a fight, someone will get hurt

èrhǔxiāngdòu,bìyǒuyīshāng

二虎相斗，必有一伤

[二虎相鬥，必有一傷]

lit. when two tigers fight, one is sure to be wounded (idiom)
fig. if it comes to a fight, someone will get hurt

rénbùkěmàoxiàng,hǎishuǐbùkědǒuliáng

人不可貌相，海水不可斗量

[人不可貌相，海水不可斗量]

you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom)