DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
點石成金
简 点石成金 · 繁 點石成金Mandarin · pinyin diǎn shí chéng jīn
Meanings
- to touch base matter and turn it to gold (idiom); fig. to turn crude writing into a literary gem
Characters in this entry
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.
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Mandarin tones
3–2–2–1 · dian3 shi2 cheng2 jin1
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 · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
dim2 sek6 sing4 gam1
Cantonese word readings for 點石成金. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
dim2 sek6 sing4 gam1
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
- (Taoism) to touch a stone to transform it into gold
- (figurative) to edit a crude piece of writing into an amazing literary work
- (figurative) to turn something crude or ordinary into something valuable
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack