矬子裡拔將軍

lit. to choose a general among the dwarves (idiom) / fig. to pick the best out of a bad group

short / dwarfish

son / child / seed / egg / small thing / 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.-1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the Rat / Viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4] / ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north) / subsidiary / subordinate / sub-

(noun suffix)

lining / interior / inside / internal / also written 裏|里[li3]

to pull up / to pull out / to draw out by suction / to select / to pick / to stand out (above level) / to surpass / to seize

will / shall / to use / to take / to checkmate / just a short while ago / (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把[ba3])

general / commander-in-chief (military) / king (chess piece) / to command / to lead

to desire / to invite / to request

(bound form) a general / (literary) to command; to lead / (Chinese chess) general (on the black side, equivalent to a king in Western chess)

(common place name)

general / high-ranking military officer / to check or checkmate / fig. to embarrass / to challenge / to put sb on the spot

(bound form) army / military