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垂涎三尺
垂涎三尺
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垂涎三尺

垂涎三尺 — “To covet something greatly”

垂涎三尺 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to covet something greatly”. To drool with envy or desire; to long for something immensely. Literally, “Drooling three feet long”.

Frequency

垂涎三尺 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 垂chuí
  • 涎xián
  • 三sān
  • 尺chǐ

垂涎三尺 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
垂
chuí8to hang down
涎
xián9Saliva or drool
三
sān3the number three
尺
chǐ4traditional Chinese foot unit

Example Sentence with 垂涎三尺

看到橱窗里精致的甜点,小明不禁垂涎三尺,恨不得立刻买下
Seeing the exquisite desserts in the display window, Xiao Ming couldn't help but drool with desire, wishing he could buy them immediately.

Idioms Related to 垂涎三尺

Synonyms of 垂涎三尺

  • chuí垂xián涎yù欲dī滴drooling with intense craving
  • chán馋xián涎yù欲dī滴drooling with greed

Antonyms of 垂涎三尺

  • bù不xiè屑yī一gù顾disdain to cast a glance
  • shì视rú如bì敝xǐ屣regard as worthless rags

More idioms starting with 垂

  • chuí垂shì世bù不xiǔ朽achieve everlasting fame
  • chuí垂míng名zhú竹bó帛Be immortalized in history
  • chuí垂míng名qīng青shǐ史leave a lasting name in history
  • chuí垂tóu头sàng丧qì气dejected and dispirited
  • chuí垂tóu头tā塌chì翅dejected and dispirited
  • chuí垂tóu头sāi塞ěr耳deliberately ignore and feign ignorance
  • chuí垂tóu头tà搨yì翼crestfallen and dejected
  • chuí垂tóu头shā铩yǔ羽utterly dispirited and dejected
  • chuí垂lián帘tīng听jué决rule from behind a curtain
  • chuí垂lián帘tīng听zhèng政govern from behind the curtain
  • chuí垂shǒu手shì侍lì立stand respectfully, ready to serve
  • chuí垂shǒu手kě可dé得easily obtainable

Questions about 垂涎三尺

What does 垂涎三尺 mean?
垂涎三尺 (chuí xián sān chǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to covet something greatly”.
How do you pronounce 垂涎三尺?
垂涎三尺 is pronounced chuí xián sān chǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 垂涎三尺 literally mean?
Literally, 垂涎三尺 means “Drooling three feet long”. It is used to mean “to covet something greatly”.
What is the Chinese definition of 垂涎三尺?
涎:口水。口水挂下三尺长。形容极其贪婪的样子。也形容非常眼热。
Copy the pinyin for 垂涎三尺 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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