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穿針引線

简穿针引线 · 繁穿針引線

Mandarin · pinyin chuān zhēn yǐn xiàn

lit. to thread a needle (idiom); fig. to act as a go-between

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Characters in this entry

穿: chuān · penetrate, pierce, drill; wear
針: Look up this written character
引: yǐn · to pull, draw out, attract; to stretch
線: Look up this written character
针: zhēn · needle; pin; tack; acupuncture
线: xiàn · line, thread, wire; clue

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–3–4 · chuan1 zhen1 yin3 xian4

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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.

穿針引線 · find source passages ↗ · 穿针引线 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cyun1 zam1 jan5 sin3

Cantonese word readings for 穿針引線. 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

(figuratively) to act as a go-between; to act as a middleman

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

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