jiǎn dào lán lǐ jiù shì càidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
all is grist that comes to the mill (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-a1420de726351f6a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

撿到籃裡就是菜 捡到篮里就是菜 [jian3 dao4 lan2 li3 jiu4 shi4 cai4] /all is grist that comes to the mill (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: 撿到籃裡就是菜

  • 捡
    jiǎn

    to pick up / to collect / to gather

  • 到
    dào

    to reach / to arrive / to leave for / to go to / to (a place) / until (a time) / up to (a point) / (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point) / considerate / thoughtful / thorough

  • 篮
    lán

    basket (receptacle) / basket (in basketball)

  • 里
    lǐ

    lining / interior / inside / internal / also written 裏|里[lǐ] / li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m / neighborhood / ancient administrative unit of 25 families / (Tw) borough, administrative unit between the township 鎮|镇[zhèn] and neighborhood 鄰|邻[lín] levels

    Lǐ

    surname Li

  • 就
    jiù

    (after a suppositional clause) in that case / then / (after a clause of action) as soon as / immediately after / (same as 就是[jiù shì]) merely / nothing else but / simply / just / precisely / exactly / only / as little as / as much as / as many as / to approach / to move towards / to undertake / to engage in / (often followed by 著|着[zhe]) taking advantage of / (of food) to go with / with regard to / concerning / (bound form) to reach / to attain (as in 一蹴而就[yī cù ér jiù]) / (pattern: 就[jiù] ... 也[yě] ...) even if ... still ... / (pattern: 不[bù] ... 就[jiù] ...) if not ... then must be ...

  • 是
    shì

    to be (followed by substantives only) / correct / right / true / (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well / (adverb for emphatic assertion)

  • 菜
    cài

    vegetable / greens (CL:棵[kē]) / dish (of food) (CL:樣|样[yàng],道[dào],盤|盘[pán]) / (of one's skills etc) weak / poor / (coll.) (one's) type

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.