paau1 zyun1 jan5 juk6拋磚引玉抛砖引玉
Jyutpingpaau1 zyun1 jan5 juk6
Yalepāau jyūn yáhn yuhk
Definition
To offer a humble remark or crude work in order to elicit valuable contributions or opinions from others.
neutralcommunicationother
How it's used
This idiom is a classic example of Chinese modesty, used exclusively when presenting one's own work or opinion to invite feedback from others. It is essential to use it only for yourself, as applying it to someone else's work would be highly insulting, implying their contribution is a worthless brick. While it is a formal idiom, it is frequently used in professional or academic settings in Hong Kong to soften the delivery of a suggestion.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Never use this to describe someone else's opinion, as it would be interpreted as calling their contribution low-quality or amateurish.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
