拋磚引玉

See also: 抛砖引玉

Chinese

 
to throw; to toss; to fling; to cast; to abandon
brick to lead; to divert (water); to guide jade
trad. (拋磚引玉)
simp. (抛砖引玉)
Literally: “to toss a brick to attract the jade”.

Etymology

One of the Thirty-Six Strategems, originally in reference to tossing brickbats at one's enemy to get an (exploitable) reaction or win a greater prize.

Pronunciation


Note:
  • phau-choan-ín-gio̍k - literary;
  • pha-chng-ín-ge̍k - vernacular.

Idiom

拋磚引玉

  1. (self-deprecating) to offer one's own relatively worthless words, opinions, or services in order to attract others' more valuable contributions
  2. (original meaning, rare) to achieve success by goading one's opponent
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