敲门砖 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
门 mén
HSK 2
gate, door, entrance, opening
砖 zhuān
HSK 6
tile, brick