抛砖引玉 pāo zhuān yǐn yù

offer a small idea to invite better ideas

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 54735th word

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. to attract others' interest or suggestions by putting forward one's own modest ideas to get the ball rolling
  2. 2. lit. throw out a brick and get jade thrown back (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
抛 pāo HSK 6
to throw; to toss; to fling
砖 zhuān HSK 6
brick; variant of 磚zhuān; variant of 甎zhuān
引 yǐn HSK 4
to lead; to guide; to attract
玉 yù HSK 5
jade