ChinesePod

1 lit. a brick thrown to prompt others to produce a jade (idiom)
2 fig. a modest suggestion intended to prompt others to come forward with better ideas

抛砖引玉

pāo zhuān yǐn yù

1 lit. throw out a brick and get jade thrown back (idiom)
2 fig. to attract others' interest or suggestions by putting forward one's own modest ideas to get the ball rolling

搬砖砸脚

bān zhuān zá jiǎo

1 to hurt oneself by one's own doing
2 to boomerang
3 to shoot oneself in the foot (idiom)

敲门砖

qiāo mén zhuān

1 lit. a brick as a door knocker (idiom); fig. a temporary expedient
2 to use sb as a stepping stone to fortune

添砖加瓦

tiān zhuān jiā wǎ

1 lit. contribute bricks and tiles for a building (idiom)
2 fig. to do one's bit to help

Sample Sentences

西南地区相当于咱们公司进军全国的敲门砖呀，这确实是关键举措。

xīnán dìqū xiāngdāngyú zánmen gōngsī jìnjūn quánguó de qiāoménzhuān ya ，zhè quèshí shì guānjiàn jǔcuò 。

The southwest region is equivalent to a stepping stone for our company to enter the entire market. This is indeed a key measure.

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不了，我得走了，我跟设计师约好要去挑磁砖、选家具、订窗帘！

bù le ，wǒ děi zǒu le ，wǒ gēn shèjìshī yuē hǎo yào qù tiāo cízhuān 、xuǎn jiājù 、dìng chuānglián ！

No, I have to go. I've got an appointment with my designer to go pick out tiles, furniture and to order curtains!

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所谓论坛也是抛砖引玉，以期我们可以展开对论题的共同探讨，也请各位外交界的后起之秀们不吝赐教。

suǒwèi lùntán yě shì pāozhuānyǐnyù ，yǐ qī wǒmen kěyǐ zhǎnkāi duì lùntí de gòngtóng tàntǎo ，yě qǐng gèwèi wàijiāo jiè de hòuqǐzhīxiù men bùlìn cìjiào 。

In this forum my comments will only serve as a spark to inflame discussion in the hope that we can start a deeper joint exploration of these issues and I welcome the young up and comers in the diplomatic scene to put forth their opinions.

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不要紧，小鞋穿久了就会大的。你就好好搬砖吧。

bùyàojǐn ，xiǎo xié chuān jiǔ le jiù huì dà de 。nǐ jiù hǎohǎo bānzhuān ba 。

Don't worry, things will get better eventually. Just keep doing your job for now.

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你看到了吗？自习室最后两排全都被砖头和拖把占座了。真不要脸！

nǐ kàndào le ma ？zìxíshì zuìhòu liǎng pái quándōu bèi zhuāntou hé tuōbǎ zhànzuò le 。zhēn bùyàoliǎn ！

Did you see? The last two rows in the study room are all taken up with bricks and mops! It's disgraceful!

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房间里有股味道，地上的瓷砖也有些湿漉漉的。

fángjiān lǐ yǒu gǔ wèidao ，dìshang de cízhuān yě yǒuxiē shīlùlù de 。

The room had a smell and the tiled floor was also a bit damp.

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不过，就算变砖也还是有办法恢复的。程序的话，可以去电子市场下载，差不多都是免费的。

bùguò ，jiùsuàn biànzhuān yě háishì yǒubànfǎ huīfù de 。chéngxù dehuà ，kěyǐ qù diànzǐ shìchǎng xiàzǎi ，chàbuduō dōu shì miǎnfèi de 。

But even if it gets bricked there are ways to recover it. As for apps, you can just go to the app market and download them. Most apps are free.

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不麻烦，我觉得很有乐趣。如果刷得不成功，手机要变砖的。所以每次刷机，都很紧张，很刺激，呵呵。

bù máfan ，wǒ juéde hěn yǒu lèqù 。rúguǒ shuā de bù chénggōng ，shǒujī yào biànzhuān de 。suǒyǐ měicì shuājī ，dōu hěn jǐnzhāng ，hěn cìjī ，hēhē 。

I don't mind. I think it's fun. If you don't flash it successfully, the phone gets bricked. So, every time I flash it I get really nervous. It's exciting. Heh-heh.

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就是，学历首先是一块敲门砖。还有升职什么的，哪一样离得了学历。

jiùshì ，xuélì shǒuxiān shì yī kuài qiāoménzhuān 。háiyǒu shēngzhí shénme de ，nǎ yīyàng lídeliǎo xuélì 。

That's right. Before anything else, your education is a stepping stone. And even as for promotions and all that, who can do without an education?

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没问题，玄关那里的地砖还没铺呢。我过会儿和木工师傅说一声，把尺寸量一下。

méiwèntí ，xuánguān nàlǐ de dìzhuān hái méi pū ne 。wǒ guò huǐr hé mùgōng shīfu shuō yī shēng ，bǎ chǐcùn liáng yīxià 。

Sure. We haven't laid the tile in the entryway yet, so it's not a problem. I'll talk with the carpenter soon and have the measurements taken.

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