DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

柿子挑軟的捏

简柿子挑软的捏 · 繁柿子挑軟的捏

Mandarin · pinyin shì zi tiāo ruǎn de niē

lit. it's the soft persimmons that people choose to squeeze (idiom)
fig. it's the weak (i.e. 軟柿子 ruǎn shì zi) who get picked on
bullies pick soft targets

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Characters in this entry

柿: shì · persimmon
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
挑: tiāo · a load carried on the shoulders; to carry
軟: Look up this written character
的: de · possessive, adjectival suffix
捏: niē · pick with fingers; knead; mold
软: ruǎn · soft, flexible, pliable; weak

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

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Mandarin tones

4–5–1–3–5–1 · shi4 zi5 tiao1 ruan3 de5 nie1

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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.

柿子挑軟的捏 · find source passages ↗ · 柿子挑软的捏 · find source passages ↗

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