敲门砖 in English qiao1 men2 zhuan1 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) a brick as a door knocker (idiomatic expression); metaphorically a temporary expedient
  • to use somebody as a stepping stone to fortune

Simplified Characters

敲 门 砖

Traditional Characters

敲 門 磚

Pinyin

qiao1 men2 zhuan1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

敲qiao1to hit 门men2surname Men 砖zhuan1variant of 甎|砖[zhuan1]