Questions related to idioms, maxims, sayings, and other expressions consisting of a combination of words that has an indirect, figurative meaning.
3
votes
3answers
226 views
Translating the idiom “thinking outside the box”
I normally hate overused catchphrases in English, like "paradigm shift" and "out of the box thinking". But I was recently chatting (in Chinese) with a friend about an earlier situation in which ...
4
votes
1answer
178 views
What is the etymology of 放我一马？
I've heard this a couple times now and most recently in a movie "钢的琴". It's an idiom that means "cut me some slack"; "let me off the hook". I couldn't make sense of the Baidu encyclopedia so I'm ...
3
votes
1answer
62 views
给我站住: Idiom or common meaning
给我站住
I assume this means something like "wait for me!". But I still have a couple of questions.
Google translate gives the meaning "Nothing to say" which implies that 给我站住 may be an idiom.
If ...
2
votes
2answers
129 views
Are there online resources for learning the Chongqing dialect?
I'd like to learn the Chongqing dialect or chongqinghua. If anyone can help me to find resources like phrasebooks, differences with putonghua, or any article on this topic, I would be thankful.
6
votes
10answers
491 views
What is the Chinese equivalent of English idiom “As if!”?
The English idiom "as if!" is used to express the speakers rejection that something is possible:
A: "In a few years I'll be driving a Ferrari."
B: "As if you'll ever have a Ferrari!"
Here, B, ...
4
votes
5answers
299 views
Are there any online resources for learning Chinese 4-character idioms
I'm interested particularly in the 4-character idioms/chengyu's.
Some that I've learnt recently:
独一无二 - unique
由此可见 - this shows that
一般来说 - generally speaking
I've realised they come in really ...
2
votes
3answers
237 views
What is the 成语 for “face like buddha, heart like scorpion”?
I was watching Raise the Red Lantern (which is an excellent movie by the way) and saw this phrase come up on the subtitles, but wasn't able to catch what the actual Mandarin behind it was. Does anyone ...
10
votes
3answers
199 views
What is the meaning of 当仁不让?
I was browsing the Chinese internet looking for a bank that supports Mac OS when I came across this site. They list a range of different banks under a range of different headings, the first of which ...
3
votes
6answers
160 views
Chinese version of the idiom “The word on the street”
"The word on the street" is an English idiom that basically means "rumors".
The word on the street is that Bob's going to be fired.
I was wondering if there was a similar Chinese idiom.
7
votes
3answers
185 views
Why are 成语 (idioms) four characters long? Are there 成语 with more or less than four characters?
I really enjoying learning 成语 (chéng yǔ) in Chinese, and I'm curious to know why they are often or always four characters long? Where does this tradition stem from?
And are there 成语 with more or ...
