# 唾手可得

tuò shǒu kě dé

Be obtainable with very little effort

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Be obtained after spitting on the hand

**Register:** Confident · literary

[Choices & judgment](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/decisions)

## When to use it

Describe something readily within reach.

Ease does not imply entitlement or guaranteed lasting value.

## Understanding the expression

The expression presents obtaining something as requiring almost no preparation or exertion. A prize, opportunity, or resource seems immediately within reach. Modern readers need not imitate the literal gesture; the whole phrase carries the established sense of ease. It may express justified confidence or expose complacency. A valuable result often still depends on earlier work, so something that looks easily available at the final stage may rest on effort already invested elsewhere.

## Examples

他以为冠军唾手可得，却轻敌了。

### Traditional Chinese

他以為冠軍唾手可得，卻輕敵了。

tā yǐ wéi guàn jūn tuò shǒu kě dé ， què qīng dí le 。

He expected an easy championship and underestimated others.

资料已有索引，答案几乎唾手可得。

### Traditional Chinese

資料已有索引，答案几乎唾手可得。

zī liào yǐ yǒu suǒ yǐn ， dá àn jī hū tuò shǒu kě dé 。

The index makes the answer readily available.

真正的信任并非唾手可得。

### Traditional Chinese

真正的信任並非唾手可得。

zhēn zhèng de xìn rèn bìng fēi tuò shǒu kě dé 。

Genuine trust is not effortlessly obtained.

机会看似唾手可得，也要认真准备。

### Traditional Chinese

機會看似唾手可得，也要認真準備。

jī huì kàn sì tuò shǒu kě dé ， yě yào rèn zhēn zhǔn bèi 。

Even an accessible opportunity deserves preparation.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E5%94%BE%E6%89%8B%E5%8F%AF%E5%BE%97)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=690&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [万劫不复 wàn jié bù fù Fall into irreversible ruin ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/wan-jie-bu-fu)

- [尾大不掉 wěi dà bù diào A large subordinate part becomes hard to control ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/wei-da-bu-diao)

- [畏首畏尾 wèi shǒu wèi wěi Be afraid to act because of every concern ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/wei-shou-wei-wei)

- [未雨绸缪 wèi yǔ chóu móu Prepare before trouble arrives ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/wei-yu-chou-mou)

## Keep this one close.

Save useful idioms, read offline, and revisit them with flashcards in Almanac.

[View on the App Store ](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819590452)

[Previous idiom 拖泥带水 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/tuo-ni-dai-shui) [Next idiom 脱颖而出 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/tuo-ying-er-chu)