rcuv@programming.devtoAsk Lemmy@lemmy.world•Multilingual folks: what are some odd idioms in your language(s)?
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9 months agoMandarin Chinese:
I thought of a couple involving animals.
沉鱼落雁 (chén yú luò yàn) - literally “sinking fish and grounding geese” - describes a beautiful woman.
虎头蛇尾 (hǔ tóu shé wěi) - literally “having the head of a tiger and the tail of a snake” - meaning: 1. having a strong start and a weak finish. 2. describing someone who is treacherous and doesn’t do what they say they will.
Lots of idioms in Chinese are “chengyu” consisting of four characters.
yeah, ren shan ren hai is a pretty good one, and it’s also probably one of the more frequently used ones.