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見縫插針

简见缝插针 · 繁見縫插針

Mandarin · pinyin jiàn fèng chā zhēn

lit. to see a gap and stick in a needle (idiom); fig. to make use of every second and every inch

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Characters in this entry

見: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
縫: Look up this written character
插: chā · insert, stick into; plant
針: Look up this written character
见: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive
缝: fèng · sew, mend
针: zhēn · needle; pin; tack; acupuncture

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4–1–1 · jian4 feng4 cha1 zhen1

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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.

phrase

(idiomatic) to make use of every bit of available time or space

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

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