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一鱗半爪

简一鳞半爪 · 繁一鱗半爪

Mandarin · pinyin yī lín bàn zhǎo

lit. one scale and half a claw (idiom)
fig. only odd bits and pieces

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
鱗: Look up this written character
半: bàn · half
爪: zhǎo · claw, nail, talon; animal feet
鳞: lín · fish scales

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–3 · yi1 lin2 ban4 zhao3

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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.

一鱗半爪 · find source passages ↗ · 一鳞半爪 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 leon4 bun3 zaau2

Cantonese word readings for 一鱗半爪. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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

(figuratively) fragments; odd bits

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

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