敲門磚 qiāo mén zhuān

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. a brick as a door knocker (idiom); fig. a temporary expedient
  2. to use sb as a stepping stone to fortune

CHARACTERS

敲 qiāo
HSK 4
strike, beat, pound, hammer; rap
門 mén gate, door, entrance, opening
磚 zhuān tile, brick