削 足 适 履

xuē zú shì lǚdictionary entry

to cut the feet to fit the shoes (idiom) / to force sth to fit (as to a Procrustean bed) / impractical or inelegant solution

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-7c0fee73046651b8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

削足適履 削足适履 [xue1 zu2 shi4 lu:3] /to cut the feet to fit the shoes (idiom); to force sth to fit (as to a Procrustean bed)/impractical or inelegant solution/

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: 削足適履

削
xiāo
to peel with a knife / to pare / to cut (a ball at tennis etc)
xuē
to pare / to reduce / to remove / Taiwan pr. [xuè]
足
jù
excessive
zú
(bound form) foot / leg / sufficient / ample / as much as / fully
适
kuò
see 李适[Lǐ Kuò]
shì
to fit / suitable / proper / just (now) / comfortable / well / to go / to follow or pursue
Shì
surname Shi
履
lǚ
shoe / to tread on

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.