TongTong
Sign in

得寸进尺 (dé cùn jìn chǐ) — to be insatiable; to give an inch and take a mile; to be greedy and keep asking for more

Definition

An idiom meaning 'give someone an inch and they'll take a mile' — describes someone who, after getting a small concession, keeps demanding more and more.

idiom
to be insatiableto give an inch and take a mileto be greedy and keep asking for more

Examples

  • ，得寸进尺，。
    Tā yǐ jīng dé dào hěn duō bāng zhù le, hái dé cùn jìn chǐ, zhēn ràng rén shēng qì.
    He's already received a lot of help, yet he's still insatiable — it's really annoying.
  • 得寸进尺，。
    Tán pàn zhōng duì fāng dé cùn jìn chǐ, wǒ men zhǐ néng zhōng zhǐ hé zuò.
    During the negotiations, the other side was insatiable, so we had to halt the cooperation.
  • 得寸进尺，。
    Zuò rén bù néng dé cùn jìn chǐ, yào dǒng de shì kě ér zhǐ.
    One shouldn't be insatiable; one must know when enough is enough.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

得寸gain an inch
得dégain寸cùninch
动宾Verb + object
进尺advance a foot
进jìnadvance尺chǐfoot
动宾Verb + object

得寸 and 进尺 set two greedy steps side by side: gaining an inch, then pressing on for a foot.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

寸 has two unrelated original forms: a line on the hand and an abbreviated form of another character. It was borrowed for its sound, so the picture is unrelated to the modern meaning.

Open 寸 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 進; 进 is its simplified writing.

  • 辵辵chuòwalk
  • 隹隹zhuīshort-tail bird

The traditional form 進 pairs 辵 (walk) with 隹 (short-tail bird): the picture showed moving forward because a bird can only walk forward, not backward. The simplified 进 is a later shorthand.

Open 进 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape is thought to picture a hand with the thumb and middle finger spread apart, like a natural ruler for measuring length.

Open 尺 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.