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瓮中之鳖

wèng zhōng zhī biēdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. like a turtle in a jar / to be trapped (idiom)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-41155b329f537b62. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

甕中之鱉 瓮中之鳖 [weng4 zhong1 zhi1 bie1] /lit. like a turtle in a jar/to be trapped (idiom)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 甕中之鱉

  • 瓮
    wèng

    earthen jar / urn / pottery container for water, wine etc

    Wèng

    surname Weng

  • 中
    zhōng

    within / among / in / middle / center / while (doing sth) / during / (dialect) OK / all right

    zhòng

    to hit (a target) / to be struck by (a bullet, illness etc) / to win (a prize or lottery)

    Zhōng

    (bound form) China / Chinese / surname Zhong

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 鳖
    biē

    softshell turtle

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.