大海撈針
See also: 大海捞针
Chinese
| ocean; sea; large bowl or wine cup | fish up | needle; pin; injection | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (大海撈針) | 大海 | 撈 | 針 | |
| simp. (大海捞针) | 大海 | 捞 | 针 | |
| Literally: “dredge up a needle from the vast ocean”. | ||||
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Pinyin): dàhǎilāozhēn
- (Zhuyin): ㄉㄚˋ ㄏㄞˇ ㄌㄠ ㄓㄣ
- Cantonese (Jyutping): daai6 hoi2 laau4 zam1
- Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tōa-hái-lô-chiam
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: dàhǎilāozhēn
- Zhuyin: ㄉㄚˋ ㄏㄞˇ ㄌㄠ ㄓㄣ
- Tongyong Pinyin: dàhǎilaojhen
- Wade–Giles: ta4-hai3-lao1-chên1
- Yale: dà-hǎi-lāu-jēn
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dahhaelhaujen
- Palladius: дахайлаочжэнь (daxajlaočžɛnʹ)
- Sinological IPA (key): /tä⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ lɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: daai6 hoi2 laau4 zam1
- Yale: daaih hói làauh jām
- Cantonese Pinyin: daai6 hoi2 laau4 dzam1
- Guangdong Romanization: dai6 hoi2 lao4 zem1
- Sinological IPA (key): /taːi̯²² hɔːi̯³⁵ laːu̯²¹ t͡sɐm⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tōa-hái-lô-chiam
- Tâi-lô: tuā-hái-lô-tsiam
- Phofsit Daibuun: doaxhayloiciafm
- IPA (Xiamen): /tua²²⁻²¹ hai⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lo²⁴⁻²² t͡siam⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
Idiom
大海撈針
- to look for a needle in a haystack
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 大海撈針 (“to look for a needle in a haystack”) [map]
| Variety | Location | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 大海撈針, 海底撈針, 水底撈針, 東海撈針 | |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 大海裡撈針 |
| Taiwan | 大海撈針, 海底撈針 | |
| Singapore | 海底撈針 | |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 大海撈針 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 海底摸針 |
| Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 海底摸針 | |
| Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 海底摸針 | |
| Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 海底摸針 | |
| Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 海底摸針 | |
| Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 海底摸針 | |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 海底摸針 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 海底摸針, 大海摸針 |
| Tainan | 海底摸針, 大海摸針 | |