DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

點睛之筆

简点睛之笔 · 繁點睛之筆

Mandarin · pinyin diǎn jīng zhī bǐ

the brush stroke that dots in the eyes (idiom); fig. to add the vital finishing touch
the crucial point that brings the subject to life
a few words to clinch the point

Characters in this entry

點: diǎn · dot, speck, spot; point, degree
睛: jīng · eyeball; pupil of eye
之: zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
筆: bǐ · writing brush; write; stroke
点: diǎn · dot, speck, spot; point, degree
笔: bǐ · writing brush; write; stroke

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

3–1–1–3 · dian3 jing1 zhi1 bi3

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

6character links

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

dim2 zing1 zi1 bat1

Cantonese word readings for 點睛之筆. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

dim2 zing1 zi1 bat1

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

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

(idiomatic) the finishing touch to a painting; the crucial point that brings the subject to life