Your free Chinese learning resource is here! This idiom and proverb series introduces phrases rich in meaning. Today, we explain 「戢鱗潛翼」 and its usage.
Here’s the idiom 「戢鱗潛翼」, with its definition and practical application described below.
戢: to restrain; 乾: to live in seclusion. Fishes retract their scales and birds fold their wings. It is a metaphor for people retiring from officialdom, returning to the mountains and forests, or waiting for the right time.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
jí lín qián yì
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
chap1 leun4 chim4 yik6
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.
