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Master These 10 Three-Character Chinese Idioms

Chenkuang H. theBeijinger 2019-08-09

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Learning Chinese can be a real pain in the 屁股 pìgu. Besides a writing system that shares no common roots with most languages of the Western world, tones also muddy the water, and then there are the thousands of head-scratching idiomatic expressions just to add fuel to the already raging fire.

Idioms (成语 chéngyǔ) pose a particular challenge largely because it’s difficult to comprehend their real meaning from a literal translation; the “ah, I see” moment often only arrives once you learn the context in which they should be used. In Chinese, idioms usually have three or more words, with the four-word expressions being the most common form.

Here, we list 10 useful and commonly-used three-word Chinese expressions that you can throw into everyday conversation so as to impress your Chinese friends.

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电灯泡
diàndēngpào


Literal translation: Lightbulb
Actual meaning: Third wheel
Example sentence: 

我跟我男朋友今晚去看电影,你要一起吗?

Wǒ gēn wǒ nán péngyǒu jīn wǎn qù kàn diànyǐng, nǐ yào yīqǐ ma?

Hey, would you like to join me and my boyfriend for a movie tonight?

你们去吧,我才不要当电灯泡。

Nǐmen qù ba, wǒ cái bùyào dāng diàndēngpào.

Nah, you guys have fun, I don’t want to be the third wheel.

放鸽子
fàng gēzi


Literal meaning: Release the pigeon
Actual meaning: Stand somebody up
Example sentence: 

我跟我朋友说好了周六一起吃火锅,结果她却放我鸽子!

Wǒ gēn wǒ péngyǒu shuō hǎole zhōu liù yīqǐ chī huǒguō, jiéguǒ tā què fàng wǒ gēzi!

My friend and I were planning to have hot pot Saturday, but she stood me up!

抱大腿
bào dàtuǐ


Literal translation: Hold someone's thigh (often negative but on the internet has taken on a light-hearted, self-deprecating tone)
Actual meaning: Ride one's coattails
Example sentence: 

我刚谈下一个大客户,可以拿到不少绩效奖金!

Wǒ gāng tán xià yīgè dà kèhù, kěyǐ ná dào bù shǎo jīxiào jiǎngjīn!

I just won a big contract with an important client – I will get a great performance bonus!

恭喜!我想要抱你大腿!

Gōngxǐ! Wǒ xiǎng yào bào nǐ dàtuǐ!

Congratulations! Wish I could ride your coattails!

背黑锅
bēihēiguō


Literal translation: Carry a black pot
Actual meaning: Be a scapegoat
Example sentence: 

这件事不是我的错,我不背黑锅。

Zhè jiàn shì bùshì wǒ de cuò, wǒ bù bēihēiguō.

This is not my fault. I won't be the scapegoat here.

掉链子
diào liànzi


Literal translation: Bicycle chain comes off
Actual meaning: Drop the ball
Example sentence: 

都这个时候了小王怎么还没来?可千万不要关键时刻掉链子!

Dōu zhège shíhòule xiǎo wáng zěnme hái méi lái? Kě qiān wàn bùyào guānjiàn shíkè diào liànzi!

Why hasn't Xiao Wang shown up yet? I hope to God that he doesn't drop the ball at the last minute!

死胡同
sǐhútòng


Literal translation: Dead alley
Actual meaning: Dead end
Example sentence: 

我不认为这个世界上有死胡同。只要你努力,总能找到出路!

Wǒ bù rènwéi zhège shìjiè shàng yǒu sǐhútòng. Zhǐyào nǐ nǔlì, zǒng néng zhǎodào chūlù!

There's no such thing as a true dead-end – where there’s a will, there’s a way!

绊脚石
bànjiǎoshí


Literal translation: Stumbling block
Actual meaning: Obstacle
Example sentence: 

不幸就像石头,弱者把看成绊脚石,强者把它当成垫脚石。

Bùxìng jiù xiàng shítou, ruòzhě bǎ kàn chéng bànjiǎoshí, qiáng zhě bǎ tā dàngchéng diànjiǎoshí.

The weak-minded see misfortune as a stumbling block, while the strong-minded see it as a stepping stone.

钻空子
zuānkòngzi


Literal translation: Drill a hole
Actual meaning: Exploit a weakness
Example sentence: 

公司一旦管理不严,就会有人试图钻空子。

Gōngsī yīdàn guǎnlǐ bù yán, jiù huì yǒurén shìtú zuānkòngzi.

Once the company starts to become poorly-managed, someone will try to take advantage of it.

门外汉
ménwàihàn


Literal translation: A man outside of the door
Actual meaning: An amateur
Example sentence: 

我学这个才一个月的时间,还完全是个门外汉呢!

Wǒ xué zhège cái yīgè yuè de shíjiān, hái wánquán shìgè ménwàihàn ne!

I’ve only been learning this for a month – I'm still a total amateur!

开小差
kāixiǎochāi


Literal translation: Open a small gap
Actual meaning: Be absent-minded
Example sentence: 

他上课一直开小差,老师讲的内容一句都没听进去。

Tā shàngkè yīzhí kāixiǎochāi, lǎoshī jiǎng de nèiróng yījù dōu méi tīng jìnqù.

He’s been absent-minded throughout the entire class and didn’t catch a single word of the teacher's.

READ (via this QR code): Your Must-Watch Chinese Movie List for July


Photos: studybreaks.com, giphy.com


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