DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
大海撈針
简 大海捞针 · 繁 大海撈針Mandarin · pinyin dà hǎi lāo zhēn
Meanings
- lit. to fish a needle from the sea
- to find a needle in a haystack (idiom)
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Mandarin tones
4–3–1–1 · da4 hai3 lao1 zhen1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
daai6 hoi2 laau4 zam1
Cantonese word readings for 大海撈針. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
daai6 hoi2 laau4 zam1
Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to look for a needle in a haystack
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack