📖 Meaning
Originally describing a dragon hidden in clouds, revealing only one scale here and half a claw there, so its full form cannot be seen. It is used metaphorically to refer to fragmentary, piecemeal things or incomplete remnants of knowledge, writings, or information. Often applied when only scattered traces of something larger remain.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to the Tang dynasty work 'Zhongxing Jianqi Ji' (中兴闲气集) compiled by Gao Zhongwu. In the entry on the poet Su Huan, it records that over three years Su composed nine variation-style poems and submitted them to Li Shuai, the military governor of Guangzhou. The commentary praises Su's writing for its satirical force, comparing it to the surviving work of Chen Zi'ang (陈拾遗) as having 'one scale and half a claw' (一鳞半甲) — meaning only scattered fragments remained. Over time the phrase evolved into '一鳞半爪' to denote piecemeal remnants of anything.
💡 Example Usage
他对这门学问只有一鳞半爪的了解，还不足以独立研究。
He only has a fragmentary grasp of this subject, not enough to conduct independent research.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一鳞半爪
- Pinyin: yī lín bàn zhǎo
- Literal Translation: one, scale, half, claw
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4