放長線釣大魚
简 放长线钓大鱼 · 繁 放長線釣大魚Meanings
- use a long line to catch a big fish (idiom); a long-term plan for major returns
Characters in this entry
- 放
- fàng · put, release, free, liberate
- 長
- zhǎng · long; length; excel in; leader; Kangxi radical 168
- 線
- Look up this written character
- 釣
- Look up this written character
- 大
- dà · big, great, vast, large, high
- 魚
- yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195
- 长
- zhǎng · long; length; excel in; leader
- 线
- xiàn · line, thread, wire; clue
- 钓
- diào · fish; fishhook; tempt, lure
- 鱼
- yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4–2–4–4–4–2 · fang4 chang2 xian4 diao4 da4 yu2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
放長線釣大魚 · find source passages ↗ · 放长线钓大鱼 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
fong3 coeng4 sin3 diu3 daai6 jyu2
Cantonese word readings for 放長線釣大魚. 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 adopt a long-term plan to secure something big, play the long game, play for high stakes
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack