得寸進尺

See also: 得寸进尺

Chinese

	get; obtain; gain get; obtain; gain; proper; suitable; proud; contented; allow; permit; ready; finished; a sentence particle used after a verb to show effect; degree or possibility; to have to; must; ought to; to need to	a unit of length	advance; enter; to come in	a Chinese foot (M); one-third of a metre; a ruler a Chinese foot (M); one-third of a metre; a ruler; a note musical note on traditional Chinese scale
trad. (得寸進尺)	得	寸	進	尺
simp. (得寸进尺)	得	寸	进	尺
Literally: “to gain an inch and advance a foot”.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): décùnjìnchǐ

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄜˊ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄔˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): dak¹ cyun³ zeon³ cek³
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tek-chhùn-chìn-chhioh / tit-chhùn-chìn-chhioh

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: décùnjìnchǐ
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄜˊ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄔˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: décùnjìnchǐh
  - Wade–Giles: tê²-tsʻun⁴-chin⁴-chʻih³
  - Yale: dé-tswùn-jìn-chř
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dertsuennjinnchyy
  - Palladius: дэцуньцзиньчи (dɛcunʹczinʹči)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɤ³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕin⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: dak¹ cyun³ zeon³ cek³
  - Yale: dāk chyun jeun chek
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dak⁷ tsyn³ dzoen³ tsek⁸
  - Guangdong Romanization: deg¹ qun³ zên³ cég³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɐk̚⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ t͡sɵn³³ t͡sʰɛːk̚³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tek-chhùn-chìn-chhioh
  - Tâi-lô: tik-tshùn-tsìn-tshioh
  - Phofsit Daibuun: dekzhuoncienchioiq
  - IPA (Taipei): /tiɪk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰun¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡sin¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰioʔ³²/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /tiɪk̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰun²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sin²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sʰiɤʔ³²/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tit-chhùn-chìn-chhioh
  - Tâi-lô: tit-tshùn-tsìn-tshioh
  - Phofsit Daibuun: ditzhuoncienchioiq
  - IPA (Taipei): /tit̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰun¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡sin¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰioʔ³²/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /tit̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰun²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sin²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sʰiɤʔ³²/

Idiom

得寸進尺

to be extremely greedy; give them an inch and they'll take a mile

Synonyms

(Hokkien) 軟塗深掘／软涂深掘
(Cantonese) 得一想二