Chinese Idiom for “Just Tossing An Idea Out There”

Want to impress your Chinese friends?

Next time you’re discussing something with them, try this Chinese idiom: 抛砖引玉(pāo zhuān yǐn yù).

抛砖引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) basically means you’re “just tossing an idea out there,” and it literally means “to cast a brick to attract jade.”  You’re basically saying, “this idea I’m tossing out there is just a brick, but perhaps it will led one of you to contribute jade.” It’s a humble way to contribute to a conversation and is sure to make your friends see you in a new light.

Here’s a breakdown of the characters in 抛砖引玉(pāo zhuān yǐn yù): 

抛 (pāo): to throw or toss

砖 (zhuān): a brick

引 (yǐn): to attract (eg. 吸引 - xī yǐn)

玉 (yù): jade

Here are some examples of 抛砖引玉(pāo zhuān yǐn yù) being used in the wild.

Usage 1) As a Verb.

Example 1 A)

“我的建议还不够成熟，算是抛砖引玉吧 ”

“wǒ de jiàn yì hái bú gòu chéng shú, suàn shì pāo zhuān yǐn yù ba “

“My suggestion is still half-baked — you could see it as just me tossing an idea out there“

Example 1 B)

“希望本文抛砖引玉，能引起大家更多的思考 ”

“xī wàng běn wén pāo zhuān yǐn yù, néng yǐn qǐ dà jiā gèng duō de sī kǎo”

“I hope that this document can act as a brick that attracts jade — that it can make everyone think a little more”

Usage 2) 抛砖引玉 + 的 + Noun.

Example 2 A)

“…希望能起到抛砖引玉的作用 ”

“…xī wàng néng qǐ dào pāo zhuān yǐn yù de zuò yòng”

“…I hope this can have the effect of being a cast brick attracting jade“

Example 2 B)

“主持人通常在晚会中起到抛砖引玉的作用 ”

“zhǔ chí rén tōng cháng zài wǎn huì zhōng qǐ dào pāo zhuān yǐn yù de zuò yòng”

“At an evening party, the host usually has the effect of being a cast brick attracting jade“

Usage 3) 抛砖引玉+地+Verb.

Example 3 A)

“小编先在这里抛砖引玉地说个传统汤圆做法 ”

“xiǎo biān xiān zài zhè lǐ pāo zhuān yǐn yù de shuō gè chuán tǒng tāng yuán zuò fǎ”

“Little Bian first talks about how to make Tangyuan, in the spirit of casting a brick to attract jade“

Example 3 B)

“。。。我就抛砖引玉地发表自己对人民网的一些感悟 ”

“。。。wǒ jiù pāo zhuān yǐn yù de fā biǎo zì jǐ duì rén mín wǎng de yì xiē gǎn wù”

 ”…I am just throwing some ideas out there about my feelings toward Renminwang.”

Hope that you know that all of our posts are written in the spirit of the Chinese idiom 抛砖引玉！