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綿裡藏針

简 绵里藏针 · 繁 綿裡藏針
Mandarin · pinyin mián lǐ cáng zhēn

Meanings

  1. lit. a needle concealed in silk floss (idiom)
  2. fig. ruthless character behind a gentle appearance
  3. a wolf in sheep's clothing
  4. an iron fist in a velvet glove
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Characters in this entry

綿
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裡
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藏
cáng · hide, conceal; hoard, store up
針
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绵
mián · cotton wad; wool; soft, downy
里
lǐ · unit of distance; village; lane; Kangxi radical 166
针
zhēn · needle; pin; tack; acupuncture
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Entries containing 綿裡藏針 ↗Words written with 綿 ↗Words written with 裡 ↗Words written with 藏 ↗Words written with 針 ↗Words written with 绵 ↗Words written with 里 ↗Words written with 针 ↗

Mandarin tones

2–3–2–1 · mian2 li3 cang2 zhen1

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

min4 leoi5 cong4 zam1

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

綿裡藏針 · mian2 li3 cang2 zhen1
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 86,558
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record綿裡藏針 绵里藏针 [mian2 li3 cang2 zhen1] /lit. a needle concealed in silk floss (idiom)/fig. ruthless character behind a gentle appearance/a wolf in sheep's clothing/an iron fist in a velvet glove/