Chengyu (simplified Chinese: 成语; traditional Chinese: 成語, pinyin: chéngyǔ, lit. "set phrases") are a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expressions, most of which consist of four characters. Chengyu were widely used in Classical Chinese and are still common in vernacular Chinese writing and in ...
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Specifics of the idiom “四海一家”
There are several sayings and idioms similar to 四海一家 which reference "四海".
Does the 四海 actually refer to 4 specific oceans such as the Indian, Pacific etc. or is it more of a metaphor for all of the ...
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2answers
150 views
Implications of “旧的不去，新的不来”
I found this idiom while looking for another idiom my friend told me about like 回去回来 or 回来回去. I'm wondering about the implications of 旧的不去，新的不来 though. Can this be used for people who hold onto broken ...
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How would one accurately translate “万事大吉”?
This is a four character phrase for which I have found no accurate translation online. I hear it all the time around CNY.
万事大吉
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1answer
158 views
Does tone sandhi apply to 成语
In my previous question I found the following about tone sandhi and yī 'one':
yī on its own or not followed by other tones
yī → yí when followed by a fourth tone
yī → yì when followed by ...
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1answer
101 views
What is the significance of 吃秋葵时过世?
I found this on nciku.cn and after searching around I could find no other references or even mention. Is this a translation error or some sort of dictionary blip?
I asked a few Chinese friends but ...
