DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
緣木求魚
简 缘木求鱼 · 繁 緣木求魚Mandarin · pinyin yuán mù qiú yú
Meanings
- lit. climb a tree to catch a fish (idiom); fig. to attempt the impossible
Characters in this entry
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.
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Mandarin tones
2–4–2–2 · yuan2 mu4 qiu2 yu2
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
jyun4 muk6 kau4 jyu4
Cantonese word readings for 緣木求魚. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
jyun4 muk6 kau4 jyu4
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 pursue an end by impossible or unjustifiable means
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack