DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

拿著雞毛當令箭

简拿着鸡毛当令箭 · 繁拿著雞毛當令箭

Mandarin · pinyin ná zhe jī máo dàng lìng jiàn

to wave a chicken feather as a token of authority (idiom); to assume unwarranted authority on the basis of some pretext

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Characters in this entry

拿: ná · take, hold, grasp; bring; with
著: zhù · zhe · manifest; (Cant.) to wear
雞: jī · chickens; domestic fowl
毛: máo · hair, fur, feathers; coarse
當: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
令: lìng · command, order; 'commandant', magistrate; allow, cause
箭: jiàn · arrow; type of bamboo
着: zhe · make move, take action
鸡: jī · chicken
当: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just

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

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Mandarin tones

2–5–1–2–4–4–4 · na2 zhe5 ji1 mao2 dang4 ling4 jian4

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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.

拿著雞毛當令箭 · find source passages ↗ · 拿着鸡毛当令箭 · find source passages ↗

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