DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

蚍蜉撼樹

简蚍蜉撼树 · 繁蚍蜉撼樹

Mandarin · pinyin pí fú hàn shù

(lit.) an ant trying to shake a tree (idiom)
(fig.) to overrate oneself; to overestimate one's capabilities

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

蚍: pí · mussels; various shellfish
蜉: fú · mayfly
撼: hàn · move, shake; (Cant.) to fight
樹: shù · tree; plant; set up, establish
树: shù · tree; plant; set up, establish

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–2–4–4 · pi2 fu2 han4 shu4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

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.

蚍蜉撼樹 · find source passages ↗ · 蚍蜉撼树 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

pei4 fau4 ham6 syu6

Cantonese word readings for 蚍蜉撼樹. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to ridiculously overrate oneself; to be self-important

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack