DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
有的放矢
Mandarin · pinyin yǒu dì fàng shǐ
Meanings
- lit. to have a target in mind when shooting one's arrows (idiom)
- fig. to have a clear objective
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Mandarin tones
3–4–4–3 · you3 di4 fang4 shi3
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
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to have a definite object in view; to have a definite objective in speech or action
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack