捉襟見肘
简 捉襟见肘 · 繁 捉襟見肘Meanings
- lit. pulling on the lapels exposes the elbows (idiom)
- strapped for cash
- unable to make ends meet
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Mandarin tones
1–1–4–3 · zhuo1 jin1 jian4 zhou3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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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.
捉襟見肘 · find source passages ↗ · 捉襟见肘 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
zuk1 kam1 gin3 zaau2
Cantonese word readings for 捉襟見肘. 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 be pitifully poor; to be desperately poor; to be hard up
- (idiomatic) to have too many problems to handle at one time; to be severely lacking in resources to deal with issues on multiple fronts
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack