以卵投石 — “To throw an egg against a rock”
以卵投石 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to throw an egg against a rock”. To attempt something utterly futile or impossible against an overwhelmingly superior force, resulting in certain failure or self-destruction. Literally, “To throw an egg at a rock”.
Frequency
以卵投石 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 以yǐ
- 卵luǎn
- 投tóu
- 石shí
以卵投石 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 以卵投石
小明想要凭借一己之力去挑战整个行业规则，这简直是以卵投石。
Xiao Ming's attempt to challenge the entire industry's rules by himself is simply like throwing an egg at a rock.
Origin and Story of 以卵投石
During the Warring States period, the renowned philosopher Mozi was on his way to the state of Qi when he encountered a fortune-teller. The fortune-teller claimed that Mozi's complexion was unfavorable and advised him against continuing his journey.
Mozi, however, did not believe in such superstitions. He argued that superstition could not overcome truth, and trying to deny truth with superstition was like 'throwing an egg at a rock,' causing no harm whatsoever to the truth.
Idioms Related to 以卵投石
Synonyms of 以卵投石
Antonyms of 以卵投石
More idioms starting with 以
- yǐ以yī一jǐng儆bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一fèng奉bǎi百one producer supports a hundred consumers
- yǐ以yī一dāng当shí十fight with the strength of ten men
- yǐ以yī一dāng当bǎi百one person effective as a hundred
- yǐ以yī一chí持wàn万Grasp key to control the whole
- yǐ以yī一zhī知wàn万infer many from one
- yǐ以yī一jǐng警bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一yù驭wàn万Control many by grasping the fundamental
- yǐ以bù不biàn变yìng应wàn万biàn变respond to change with no change
- yǐ以fǒu不jì济kě可help succeed by negating incorrect ideas
- yǐ以fēng丰bǔ补qiàn歉save in times of plenty for scarcity
- yǐ以wéi为kǒu口shí实provide material for criticism
Questions about 以卵投石
- What does 以卵投石 mean?
- 以卵投石 (yǐ luǎn tóu shí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to throw an egg against a rock”.
- How do you pronounce 以卵投石?
- 以卵投石 is pronounced yǐ luǎn tóu shí in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 以卵投石 literally mean?
- Literally, 以卵投石 means “to throw an egg at a rock”. It is used to mean “to throw an egg against a rock”.
- Where does 以卵投石 come from?
- 以卵投石 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 以卵投石?
- 拿蛋去碰石头。比喻不估计自己的力量，自取灭亡。