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垂涎三尺

chuí xián sān chǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to drool (over) (idiom) / to yearn for / to covet / to crave
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-4ab8c300116be69a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

垂涎三尺 垂涎三尺 [chui2 xian2 san1 chi3] /to drool (over) (idiom)/to yearn for/to covet/to crave/

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.

  • 垂
    chuí

    to hang (down) / droop / dangle / bend down / hand down / bequeath / nearly / almost / to approach

  • 涎
    xián

    saliva

  • 三
    sān

    three / 3

    Sān

    surname San

  • 尺
    chě

    one of the characters used to represent a musical note in gongche notation, 工尺譜|工尺谱[gōng chě pǔ]

    chǐ

    a Chinese foot / one-third of a meter / a ruler / a tape-measure / one of the three acupoints for measuring pulse in Chinese medicine / CL:支[zhī],把[bǎ]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.