拋磚引玉
简 抛砖引玉 · 繁 拋磚引玉Meanings
- lit. throw out a brick and get jade thrown back (idiom)
- fig. to attract others' interest or suggestions by putting forward one's own modest ideas to get the ball rolling
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Mandarin tones
1–1–3–4 · pao1 zhuan1 yin3 yu4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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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.
拋磚引玉 · find source passages ↗ · 抛砖引玉 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
paau1 zyun1 jan5 juk2
Cantonese word readings for 拋磚引玉. 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
- (self-deprecatory) to offer one's own relatively worthless words, opinions, or services in order to attract others' more valuable contributions
- (original meaning, rare) to achieve success by goading one's opponent
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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