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緣木求魚

简缘木求鱼 · 繁緣木求魚

Mandarin · pinyin yuán mù qiú yú

lit. climb a tree to catch a fish (idiom); fig. to attempt the impossible

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Characters in this entry

緣: Look up this written character
木: mù · tree; wood, lumber; wooden
求: qiú · seek; demand, request; beseech
魚: yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195
缘: yuán · hem, margin; reason, cause; fate
鱼: yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4–2–2 · yuan2 mu4 qiu2 yu2

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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.

緣木求魚 · find source passages ↗ · 缘木求鱼 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jyun4 muk6 kau4 jyu4

Cantonese word readings for 緣木求魚. 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 pursue an end by impossible or unjustifiable means

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

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