pāo抛throwzhuān砖brickyǐn引attractyù玉jade
To throw a brick to attract jade; to offer a humble opinion to elicit a valuable response; to offer a modest contribution as a stimulus for others to contribute more valuable ones.
Literal meaning
throw (抛) — brick (砖) — attract (引) — jade (玉)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing the act of offering a humble opinion or contribution to elicit a more valuable one from others.
Examples
wǒ我xiān先pāo抛zhuān砖yǐn引yù玉，shuō说shuō说wǒ我de的kàn看fǎ法。
Let me offer my humble opinion first, to elicit more valuable responses.
zhè这ge个jiàn建yì议zhǐ只shì是pāo抛zhuān砖yǐn引yù玉，xī希wàng望néng能yǐn引qǐ起dà大jiā家de的tǎo讨lùn论。
This suggestion is just a starting point, hoping to stimulate discussion among everyone.
Usage & nuances
A polite expression used to introduce one's own opinion or contribution modestly.
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