海底捞针

hǎi dǐ lāo zhēn

  • Meaning

    Literal

    To fish out a needle from the sea

    Usage

    Used to describe something that is very difficult to find

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    就算是，它也早就走远了， 要找到它是海底捞针 | Jiùsuàn shì, tā yě zǎo jiù zǒu yuǎn le, yào zhǎodào tā shì hǎidǐ lāo zhēn
    It's long gone, so finding it will be like finding a needle in a haystack
    [Source]

    要在观看足球赛的人群中找一个小男孩真像是海底捞针 | Yào zài guānkàn zúqiú sài de rénqún zhōng zhǎo yīgè xiǎo nánhái zhēn xiàng shì hǎidǐ lāo zhēn
    Finding a small boy in this crowd of soccer (football) game spectators is like finding a needle in a haystack
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    Find a needle in a haystack

    Chinese

    大海捞针 (dà hǎi lāo zhēn)

  • Entry Notes

    None

  • Origin

    《二郎收猪八戒》(Èr Láng Shōu Zhū Bā Jiè), a work by Yuán-era (元, 1279 - 1368) writer 吴昌龄 (Wú Chāng Líng)

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]