鼎铛玉石 in English ding3 cheng1 yu4 shi2 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to use a sacred tripod as cooking pot and jade as ordinary stone (idiomatic expression); metaphorically a waste of precious material
  • casting pearls before swine

Simplified Characters

鼎 铛 玉 石

Traditional Characters

鼎 鐺 玉 石

Pinyin

ding3 cheng1 yu4 shi2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

鼎ding3ancient cooking cauldron with two looped handles and three or four legs 铛dang1frying pan 玉yu4jade 石shi2surname Shi