t'ao t'ieh

[ tou tye ]

noun

1. the face of a mythical animal with a gaping mouth appearing as a motif in ancient Chinese art.

Word History and Origins

Origin of t'ao t'ieh¹

From the Chinese word tāotiè

Example Sentences

On the body appears the head of the tao-tieh, on the handles are superbly modelled serpents.

From Project Gutenberg