DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
綿裡藏針
简 绵里藏针 · 繁 綿裡藏針Mandarin · pinyin mián lǐ cáng zhēn
Meanings
- lit. a needle concealed in silk floss (idiom)
- fig. ruthless character behind a gentle appearance
- a wolf in sheep's clothing
- an iron fist in a velvet glove
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Mandarin tones
2–3–2–1 · mian2 li3 cang2 zhen1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.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.
綿裡藏針 · find source passages ↗ · 绵里藏针 · find source passages ↗