ants climbing a tree

noun

A Sichuan dish of ground meat cooked in a sauce and poured over cellophane noodles.

OriginChinese 螞蟻上樹 /蚂蚁上树 →
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Meanings

nounants climbing a tree (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA Sichuan dish of ground meat cooked in a sauce and poured over cellophane noodles.
  2. uncountableUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ants, climbing, a, tree.

Origin

  1. Chinese螞蟻上樹 /蚂蚁上树
  2. Englishants climbing a tree

Calque of Chinese 螞蟻上樹 /蚂蚁上树 (mǎyǐshàngshù); the bits of ground meat clinging to the noodles evoke an image of ants walking on twigs.

More words from Chinese

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Translations

Chinese Mandarin 螞蟻上樹 /蚂蚁上树
  • 螞蟻上樹 /蚂蚁上树 (mǎyǐshàngshù)Sichuan dish
Finnish jauhelihakastike-lasinuudelipannu
  • jauhelihakastike-lasinuudelipannuSichuan dish
French fourmis grimpant à un arbre
  • fourmis grimpant à un arbreSichuan dish
Cite this entry
APA

ants climbing a tree. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ants%20climbing%20a%20tree

MLA

“ants climbing a tree.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ants%20climbing%20a%20tree. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ants climbing a tree,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ants%20climbing%20a%20tree.

Source: ants climbing a tree on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.