Hanzi Now
CharactersIdiomsChinese NameFlashcards
Tools

Visual content

  • Chinese Text Image GeneratorCreate PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
  • Stroke Order AnimatorTurn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
  • Character Highlight AnimatorChoose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
  • Chinese Text Morph AnimatorTurn one Chinese character, word or phrase into another; download SVG, MP4 or WebM

Audio content

  • Chinese Text to SpeechRead Chinese aloud with karaoke highlighting

Teaching materials

  • Writing WorksheetsPrintable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
  • Bingo CardsPicture and word Bingo for your class
  • Picture WorksheetsChinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Other

  • Pinyin GeneratorConvert Chinese text to pinyin with tone marks
  • Chinese Zodiac CalculatorFind your animal sign from your birth date and make a zodiac card.
  • Chinese Word CounterCount characters, words and sentences in Chinese text
View all tools →
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘
掣襟露肘

掣襟露肘 — “To be in rags”

掣襟露肘 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be in rags”. To be poorly dressed due to poverty, often implying extreme destitution. Literally, “Pull the lapel and expose the elbow”.

Frequency

掣襟露肘 Pronunciation and Pinyin

掣襟露肘 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
掣
chè12pull out quickly
襟
jīn18garment front or outlook
露
lù21dew, reveal, expose
肘
zhǒu7elbow, pork hock

Example Sentence with 掣襟露肘

他们家境贫寒,平日里孩子们总是穿得掣襟露肘,令人心酸
Their family was impoverished, and the children usually wore ragged clothes, which was heartbreaking.

Idioms Related to 掣襟露肘

Synonyms of 掣襟露肘

  • zhuō捉jīn襟jiàn见zhǒu肘struggling to make ends meet

More idioms starting with 掣

  • chè掣jīn襟zhǒu肘jiàn见Struggling to make ends meet

Recommended tools

Writing Worksheets

Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion

Open the tool →

Stroke Order Animator

Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4

Open the tool →

Character Highlight Animator

Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order

Open the tool →

Picture Worksheets

Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Open the tool →

Questions about 掣襟露肘

What does 掣襟露肘 mean?

掣襟露肘 (chè jīn lù zhǒu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be in rags”.

How do you pronounce 掣襟露肘?

掣襟露肘 is pronounced chè jīn lù zhǒu in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 掣襟露肘 literally mean?

Literally, 掣襟露肘 means “Pull the lapel and expose the elbow”. It is used to mean “to be in rags”.

What is the Chinese definition of 掣襟露肘?

掣:牵接。接一下衣襟胳膊肘儿就露出来。形容衣服破烂,生活贫困。

Hanzi Now

Explore the charm of Chinese language

Explore

  • Characters
  • Idioms
  • Chinese Names
  • Flashcards

Tools

  • Chinese Text Image Generator
  • Stroke Order Animator
  • Character Highlight Animator
  • Bingo Cards
  • Picture Worksheets
  • All Tools

More

  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
© 2026 Hanzi NowContact Us