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贫无立锥之地

pín wú lì zhuī zhī dìdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
not even enough land to stand an awl (idiom) / absolutely destitute
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-b3978288b0c4c9b3. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

貧無立錐之地 贫无立锥之地 [pin2 wu2 li4 zhui1 zhi1 di4] /not even enough land to stand an awl (idiom); absolutely destitute/

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: 貧無立錐之地

  • 贫
    pín

    poor / inadequate / deficient / garrulous

  • 无
    mó

    used in 南無|南无[nā mó]

    wú

    not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less

  • 立
    lì

    to stand / to set up / to establish / to lay down / to draw up / at once / immediately

    Lì

    surname Li

  • 锥
    zhuī

    cone / awl / to bore

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 地
    de

    -ly / structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct

    dì

    earth / ground / field / place / land / CL:片[piàn]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.