How to Use Chengyu (成语) Properly

Chengyu, also called “set phrases,” is a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expression, most of which consist of four Chinese characters. Chengyu were widely used in Classical Chinese and are still common in writing and spoken language. There are about 5,000 chengyu in the Chinese language.
The idioms came from Chinese classical books and records and folk colloquial language. Chinese idioms, most of which are made of four characters, can tell or explain a fact, an argument or a metaphor. Chinese idioms are short but can convey deep thoughts, so they will, if used properly in a conversation or literature, make the words more persuasive and vivid. The meaning of a chengyu usually surpasses the sum of the meanings carried by the four characters.
As chengyu are often linked with an ancient myth, story or historical fact and do not follow the usual grammatical structure and syntax of the modern Chinese spoken language, they increases the difficulty of complete understanding and proper use. So, today, we’ll start from three simple chengyu with detailed explanations and their context for use.

1. Kǒu shì xīn fēi：口是心非

Literal meaning: mouth yes heart no.
‘Kǒu shì xīn fēi’ has the meaning of ”say one thing and mean another.” It is used to describe that someone’s statement is not consistent with what he or she thinks.
Example:
A：Wǒ juéde nǚháizi jīngcháng kǒu shì xīn fēi, xiǎng yào de shíhòu tāmen shuō búyào, xǐhuan de dōngxi tāmen shuō bù xǐhuan.
我觉得女孩子经常口是心非，想要的时候她们说不要，喜欢的东西她们说不喜欢。

(I think girls say one thing and mean another. When they want something, they say they don’t want it. When they like something, they say they don’t like it.)
B：Nà shì yīnwéi nǐ bù liǎojiě tāmen.
那是因为你不了解她们。

(That’s because you don’t understand them.)

2. Hǎo hǎo xiānsheng: 好好先生

Literal meaning: good good mister.
‘Hǎo hǎo xiānsheng’ is used to describe one who tries not to offend anybody.
Example:
Tā shi wǒmen gōngsī de hǎo hǎo xiānsheng, tā hé měi ge rén de guānxì dōu bú cuò.
他是我们公司的好好先生，他和每个人的关系都不错。

in the office, so he gets along well with everybody.

3. Húshuō bā dào: 胡说八道

Literal meaning: recklessly speak eight talk.
‘Húshuō bā dào’ means to talk nonsense.
Example:
A: Tīng Xiǎo Lǐ shuō, nǐ mǎshàng yào jiéhūn le?
听小李说，你马上要结婚了？

(Xiao Li told me that you are getting married?)
B: Búyào tīng tā húshuō bā dào. Wǒ hái méiyǒu nǚpéngyou ne!
不要听他胡说八道。我还没有女朋友呢！

(Don’t listen to his nonsense. I haven’t yet got a girl friend!)

4. Rén shān rén hǎi: 人山人海

Literal meaning: people mountain people sea.
‘Rén shān rén hǎi’ is used to describe huge crowds of people.
Example:
A：Nǐ shàngge xīngqī liù qù le Shēnzhèn wān ma?
你上个星期六去了深圳湾吗？

(Did you go to the Shenzhen Bay last Saturday?)
B：Wǒ qù le. Nàli rén shān rén hǎi!
对，我去了。那里人山人海！

(Yes, I did. There were huge crowds of people!)
Well, it is really interesting to learn Chinese Chengyu. If you can use Chinese Chenyu properly, it means your Chinese level is really very high! Do you want to learn more Chinese chengyu and improve your Chinese level? Register now and book a free trial class, let our teachers help you now!