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火中取栗

huǒ zhōng qǔ lìdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. to pull chestnuts out of the fire (idiom) / fig. to be sb's cat's-paw
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-f6caf9b3402aad45. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

火中取栗 火中取栗 [huo3 zhong1 qu3 li4] /lit. to pull chestnuts out of the fire (idiom)/fig. to be sb's cat's-paw/

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.

  • 火
    huǒ

    fire / urgent / ammunition / fiery or flaming / internal heat (Chinese medicine) / hot (popular) / classifier for military units (old) / Kangxi radical 86

    Huǒ

    surname Huo

  • 中
    zhōng

    within / among / in / middle / center / while (doing sth) / during / (dialect) OK / all right

    zhòng

    to hit (a target) / to be struck by (a bullet, illness etc) / to win (a prize or lottery)

    Zhōng

    (bound form) China / Chinese / surname Zhong

  • 取
    qǔ

    to take / to get / to choose / to fetch

  • 栗
    lì

    (literary) cold / chilly / (bound form) to tremble with fear / chestnut

    Lì

    surname Li

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.