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含沙射影

Mandarin · pinyin hán shā shè yǐng

(idiom) to attack sb by innuendo; to make insinuations

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Characters in this entry

含: hán · hold in mouth; cherish; contain
沙: shā · sand, gravel, pebbles; granulated
射: shè · shoot, eject, issue forth, emit
影: yǐng · shadow; image, reflection; photograph

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–4–3 · han2 sha1 she4 ying3

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ham4 saa1 se6 jing2

Cantonese word readings for 含沙射影. 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

(idiomatic) to attack or slander by insinuation

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

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