掌 上 明 珠

zhǎng shàng míng zhūdictionary entry

lit. a pearl in the palm (idiom) / fig. beloved person (esp. daughter)

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-74bbd5412ab9f27a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

掌上明珠 掌上明珠 [zhang3 shang4 ming2 zhu1] /lit. a pearl in the palm (idiom)/fig. beloved person (esp. daughter)/

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.

掌
zhǎng
palm of the hand / sole of the foot / paw / horseshoe / to slap / to hold in one's hand / to wield
上
shǎng
used in 上聲|上声[shǎng shēng]
shàng
(bound form) up / upper / above / previous / first (of multiple parts) / to climb / to get onto / to go up / to attend (class or university) / (directional complement) up / (noun suffix) on / above
明
míng
bright / opposite: dark 暗[àn] / (of meaning) clear / to understand / next / public or open / wise / generic term for a sacrifice to the gods
Míng
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) / surname Ming / Ming (c. 2000 BC), fourth of the legendary Flame Emperors, 炎帝[Yán dì] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shén nóng] Farmer God
珠
zhū
bead / pearl / CL:粒[lì],顆|颗[kē]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.