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救命稻草

Mandarin · pinyin jiù mìng dào cǎo

(one's) last straw to clutch at; one's last hope

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Characters in this entry

救: jiù · save, rescue, relieve; help, aid
命: mìng · life; destiny, fate, luck; an order, instruction
稻: dào · rice growing in field, rice plant
草: cǎo · grass, straw, thatch, herbs

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–3 · jiu4 ming4 dao4 cao3

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

(figurative) life-saving straw; straw to clutch at

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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