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手到拈來

简手到拈来 · 繁手到拈來

Mandarin · pinyin shǒu dào niān lái

lit. to stretch a hand and grab it (idiom)
fig. easy to do

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Characters in this entry

手: shǒu · hand
到: dào · go to, arrive, been to
拈: niān · pick up with fingers; draw lots
來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–1–2 · shou3 dao4 nian1 lai2

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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.

手到拈來 · find source passages ↗ · 手到拈来 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sau2 dou3 nim1 loi4

Cantonese word readings for 手到拈來. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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