抛砖引玉

Pronunciation: pāo zhuān yǐn yù
Literal meaning: Throw brick attract jade

Origin & Usage

This elegant metaphor emerged from Tang Dynasty literary circles, where throwing (抛) a modest brick (砖) to attract (引) precious jade (玉) described the practice of sharing an simple poem to inspire superior verses from others. The story goes that a lesser-known poet presented his work to the great Li Bai, hoping to receive guidance and a response poem. This humble act led to an unexpected masterpiece from Li Bai. The idiom beautifully captures the essence of intellectual humility and the art of drawing out excellence through modest contribution. In contemporary usage, it describes situations where someone presents preliminary ideas to stimulate more refined solutions, particularly in creative fields, academic discourse, and business innovation.

Examples

English: "She shared her initial idea hoping to inspire better suggestions"

Chinese: 她分享了初步想法，希望能激发更好的建议

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