垂涎三尺 chuí xián sān chǐ

to covet; to crave; to yearn for

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. to covet
  2. 2. to crave
  3. 3. to yearn for
  4. 4. to drool (over) (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
垂 chuí HSK 6
to hang (down); droop; dangle
涎 xián
saliva; variant of 涎xián
三 sān HSK 1
three; 3; surname San
尺 chǐ HSK 5
a ruler; a Chinese foot; one-third of a meter