DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

四兩撥千斤

简四两拨千斤 · 繁四兩撥千斤

Mandarin · pinyin sì liǎng bō qiān jīn

Characters in this entry

四: sì · four
兩: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
撥: Look up this written character
千: qiān · thousand; many, numerous; very; (Cant.) a cheater, swindler
斤: jīn · a catty (approximately 600 g); an axe; keen, shrewd; Kangxi radical 69
两: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
拨: bō · move; dispel; distribute

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

4–3–1–1–1 · si4 liang3 bo1 qian1 jin1

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

6character links

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 2 Cantonese readings

sei3 loeng2 but3 cin1 gan1 · sei3 loeng2 but6 cin1 gan1

Cantonese word readings for 四兩撥千斤. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

(idiomatic) a huge return for a very small investment; a big payoff for a small effort