屐齿之折 — “To be extremely overjoyed or elated”

屐齿之折 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be extremely overjoyed or elated”. Describing a state of intense inner happiness that causes one to lose composure. Literally, “the snapping of clog teeth”.

Frequency

屐齿之折 Pronunciation and Pinyin

屐齿之折 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
屐	jī	10	wooden clogs or shoes
齿	chǐ	8	teeth, cogs, age, disdain
之	zhī	4	possessive or connective particle
折	zhé	7	break, bend, or discount

Example Sentence with 屐齿之折

他得知多年来的心愿终于实现，高兴得屐齿之折，彻夜未眠。

Upon learning that his long-cherished wish had finally come true, he was so overjoyed that it was as if his clog teeth had snapped, staying awake all night.

Origin and Story of 屐齿之折

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Fu Jian led a massive army of a million soldiers to attack the Eastern Jin court. Xie An was ordered to lead 80,000 troops to confront them.

He was an excellent commander, often achieving great victories.

Once, while he was playing chess with a guest, Xie Xuan brought a victory report from the front line to Xie An. Xie An read it silently and continued playing chess.

After the game, the guest asked Xie Xuan and learned of the great victory.

Xie An was immensely joyful inside. As he stepped over a threshold, he was so elated that he didn't even notice his clog teeth had snapped off.