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掌上明珠

Mandarin · pinyin zhǎng shàng míng zhū

lit. a pearl in the palm (idiom)
fig. beloved person (esp. daughter)

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Characters in this entry

掌: zhǎng · palm of hand, sole of foot, paw
上: shàng · top; superior, highest; go up, send up
明: míng · bright, light, brilliant; clear
珠: zhū · precious stone, gem, jewel, pearl

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–1 · zhang3 shang4 ming2 zhu1

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zoeng2 soeng6 ming4 zyu1

Cantonese word readings for 掌上明珠. 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) apple of someone's eye; (especially) beloved daughter

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

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