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眼中釘

简眼中钉 · 繁眼中釘

Mandarin · pinyin yǎn zhōng dīng

a thorn in one's side

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Characters in this entry

眼: yǎn · eye; eyelet, hole, opening
中: zhōng · central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain
釘: Look up this written character
钉: dīng · nail, spike; pursue closely

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

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Mandarin tones

3–1–1 · yan3 zhong1 ding1

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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.

眼中釘 · find source passages ↗ · 眼中钉 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngaan5 zung1 deng1

Cantonese word readings for 眼中釘. 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) synonym of 肉中刺，眼中釘 /肉中刺，眼中钉 (ròuzhōngcì, yǎnzhōngdīng)

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

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