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Chinese Character/Word:

Definition(s) for: 牵一发而动全身

Hanzi Pinyin Definition(s)
牵一发而动全身 qiān yī fà ér dòng quán shēn - lit. pulling a single hair makes the whole body move (idiom)
- fig. a small change in one part can affect the whole system

List Ranking:

Where rank 1 is most common, and higher numbers are less common.

HSK 2 Level (2012) HSK 3 Band (2022) SUBTLEX-CH BeijingUni Global BeijingUni Weibo
- - - 56,355 64,183

Individual Character Breakdown:

Simp Pinyin Eng
牵 qiān- to lead along
- to pull (an animal on a tether)
- (bound form) to involve
- to draw in
一 yī- one
- single
- a (article)
- as soon as
- entire; whole; all; throughout
- "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1)
- also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit
发 fā- to send out
- to show (one's feeling)
- to issue
- to develop
- to make a bundle of money
- classifier for gunshots (rounds)
发 fà- hair
- Taiwan pr. [fa3]
而 ér- and
- as well as
- and so
- but (not)
- yet (not)
- (indicates causal relation)
- (indicates change of state)
- (indicates contrast)
动 dòng- (of sth) to move
- to set in movement
- to displace
- to touch
- to make use of
- to stir (emotions)
- to alter
- abbr. for 動詞|动词[dong4 ci2], verb
全 quán- surname Quan
全 quán- all
- whole
- entire
- every
- complete
身 shēn- body
- life
- oneself
- personally
- one's morality and conduct
- the main part of a structure or body
- pregnant
- classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset
- Kangxi radical 158

Other Words Containing 牵一发而动全身

Sorted by the 'SUBTLEX-CH' rank because that seems like the most reliable. Words without a SUBTLEX-CH rank are ignored for being too rare.

Word HSK 2 Level (2012) HSK 3 Band (2022) SUBTLEX-CH BeijingUni Global BeijingUni Weibo