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三尺童子
三尺童子
三尺童子
三尺童子
三尺童子
三尺童子
三尺童子
三尺童子
三尺童子
三尺童子

三尺童子 — “A very young child”

三尺童子 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a very young child”. An innocent or inexperienced person, often used to emphasize their innate sense of dignity or simple understanding of basic principles. Literally, “A three-foot child”.

Frequency

三尺童子 Pronunciation and Pinyin

三尺童子 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
三
sān3the number three
尺
chǐ4traditional Chinese foot unit
童
tóng12child, young, virgin, bald
子
zǐ3son, child, seed, small thing

Example Sentence with 三尺童子

即使是三尺童子也明白这个道理,更何况是我们成年人呢?
Even a child of tender age understands this principle, let alone us adults.

Origin and Story of 三尺童子

In 1138 AD, the Jin Empire sent envoys to the Southern Song court to negotiate peace, hoping the Southern Song court would submit and become their vassal. Qin Hui actively advocated accepting the Jin's terms.

Hu Quan, a military judge from Fuzhou, submitted a memorial, arguing strongly against surrender, stating: "Even a three-foot child, if ordered to kneel before pigs and dogs, would be furious." Qin Hui fabricated charges against him and demoted him.

Idioms Related to 三尺童子

More idioms starting with 三

  • sān三sān三liǎng两liǎng两in small groups
  • sān三sān三wǔ五wǔ五in small scattered groups
  • sān三sān三sì四sì四in small groups
  • sān三xià下wǔ五chú除èr二do something quickly and efficiently
  • sān三bù不niù拗liù六the minority cannot overrule the majority
  • sān三bù不zhī知utterly ignorant of something
  • sān三gè个chòu臭pí皮jiang匠,,hé合chéng成yí一gè个zhū诸gě葛liàng亮Collective wisdom is powerful
  • sān三gè个chòu臭pí皮jiang匠,,sài赛guò过zhū诸gě葛liàng亮Collective wisdom surpasses individual genius
  • sān三wǔ五chéng成qún群in small groups
  • sān三qīn亲liù六gù故relatives and old friends
  • sān三qīn亲liù六juàn眷all one's relatives
  • sān三qīn亲sì四juàn眷all one's relatives and kinsfolk

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Questions about 三尺童子

What does 三尺童子 mean?

三尺童子 (sān chǐ tóng zǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a very young child”.

How do you pronounce 三尺童子?

三尺童子 is pronounced sān chǐ tóng zǐ in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 三尺童子 literally mean?

Literally, 三尺童子 means “a three-foot child”. It is used to mean “a very young child”.

Where does 三尺童子 come from?

三尺童子 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 三尺童子?

指年幼不懂事的儿童

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