We’re offering free resources to help you learn Chinese. In this series, idioms and proverbs take center stage, known for their deep meanings and versatile usage. Today’s idiom is 「蒹葭倚玉」, explained below.
Today’s featured Chinese idiom is 「蒹葭倚玉」, and its meaning and usage are explained below.
Jian and Jia: aquatic plants of low value, a metaphor for humbleness. It means that people of lower status depend on people of higher status.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
jiān jiā yǐ yù
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
gim1 ga1 yi2 yuk6
Chinese idioms are incredibly numerous, each carrying a special meaning and usage. This variety is a great reason to study them, and we hope these tools make that easier for you.
