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问鼎轻重

wèn dǐng qīng zhòngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. to inquire whether the tripods are light or heavy (idiom) / a laughable attempt to seize power
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-858a7cec14c132a6. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

問鼎輕重 问鼎轻重 [wen4 ding3 qing1 zhong4] /lit. to inquire whether the tripods are light or heavy (idiom); a laughable attempt to seize power/

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: 問鼎輕重

  • 问
    wèn

    to ask / to inquire

  • 鼎
    dǐng

    ancient cooking cauldron with two looped handles and three or four legs / pot (dialect) / to enter upon a period of (classical) / Kangxi radical 206 / one of the 64 hexagrams of the Book of Changes

  • 轻
    qīng

    light / easy / gentle / soft / reckless / unimportant / frivolous / small in number / unstressed / neutral / to disparage

  • 重
    chóng

    to repeat / repetition / again / re- / classifier: layer

    zhòng

    heavy / serious / to attach importance to

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.