tao-tieh

noun

tao-ti·​eh

¦tau̇tē¦ā

plural -s

: an often conventionalized figure of a mythical animal's face appearing as a decorative motive on very ancient objects of Chinese art and possibly intended as a warning against gluttony

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Pekingese) t'ao¹-t'ieh⁴

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