諺語 · a single proverb
拋磚引玉
Simplified: 抛砖引玉
What does 拋磚引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) mean?
拋磚引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "throw a brick to attract jade." In use it means: Offering something small or rough to draw out something truly valuable. A humble beginning that invites a greater response. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.
Literally: "throw a brick to attract jade."
The reading
The brick is cheap. You throw it on purpose. Not because it is worthless, but because the jade will only come out if something goes first. The person who waits for jade before contributing anything gets silence. The person who throws the brick gets a conversation.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Thirty-Six Stratagems 三十六計, Stratagem 17
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 拋磚引玉 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 拋磚引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Thirty-Six Stratagems 三十六計, Stratagem 17. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 拋磚引玉?
In Mandarin it is pāo zhuān yǐn yù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 拋磚引玉 aloud in Mandarin.