一技之長

简 一技之长 · 繁 一技之長
Mandarin · pinyin yī jì zhī cháng

Meanings

  1. proficiency in a particular field (idiom)
  2. skill in a specialized area (idiom)
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

一
yī · one; a, an; alone
技
jì · skill, ability, talent, ingenuity
之
zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
長
zhǎng · long; length; excel in; leader; Kangxi radical 168
长
zhǎng · long; length; excel in; leader
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–4–1–2 · yi1 ji4 zhi1 chang2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

一技之長 · find source passages ↗ · 一技之长 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 gei6 zi1 coeng4

Cantonese word readings for 一技之長. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

  1. (idiomatic) professional skill; proficiency

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

一技之長 · yi1 ji4 zhi1 chang2
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 622
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record一技之長 一技之长 [yi1 ji4 zhi1 chang2] /proficiency in a particular field (idiom)/skill in a specialized area (idiom)/