敲门砖 (qiāo mén zhuān) — stepping stone (to success); a means to an end (often used and then abandoned)

Definition

A metaphorical noun for a 'stepping stone' — something used only as a means to reach a bigger goal, then left behind. Almost always appears as 当...敲门砖 or 把...当作敲门砖.

noun
stepping stone (to success)a means to an end (often used and then abandoned)

Examples

  • 敲门砖，。
    Tā bǎ zhè fèn gōng zuò dāng qiāo mén zhuān, wèi le jī lěi jīng yàn.
    He treats this job as a stepping stone to gain experience.
  • 敲门砖。
    Hěn duō xué shēng bǎ xué wèi kàn zuò shì qiāo mén zhuān.
    Many students see a degree as a stepping stone.
  • 敲门砖，。
    Tā xué xí hàn yǔ zhǐ shì bǎ tā dàng zuò qiāo mén zhuān, wèi le zhǎo dào gèng hǎo de gōng zuò.
    She studies Chinese only as a stepping stone to find a better job.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

敲门knock at a door
敲qiāoknock门méndoor
动宾Verb + object
砖zhuānbrick

敲 knocks at 门, and the 砖 is a brick that opens doors, meaning a means to success.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pūto hit lightly; to tap
Sound part声符shēngfú
高
高gāo敲qiāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

敲 combines 高, which supplies the sound, with 攴, meaning to hit lightly or tap.

Open 敲 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 磚; 砖 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shírock
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān磚zhuān
Same sound today

The traditional form 磚 uses 石 (rock) for the meaning and 專 for the sound; the simplified 砖 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the original part.

Open 砖 →

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