成语/成語 chéngyǔ — chengyu, set phrase (usually four characters)

Meanings

1. 1

   chengyu, set phrase (usually four characters)

   A fixed four-character phrase, nearly always carrying a story behind it. That is what separates it from an ordinary idiom: knowing the words of a 成语 is often not enough to know what it means.

   noun

Character breakdown

• 语/語

  yǔ (third tone, dipping)

  language, tongue; speech, words; a saying

  9 strokes⿰讠吾Radical 言

Example sentences

• 汉语里的成语大多有四个字。/漢語裏的成語大多有四個字。Hànyǔ (fourth tone, falling) lǐ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) chéngyǔ (second tone, rising) dàduō (fourth tone, falling) yǒu (third tone, dipping) sì (fourth tone, falling) ge (neutral tone) zì. (fourth tone, falling)···

  Most chengyu in Chinese have four characters.

• 每个成语后面都有一个故事。/每個成語後面都有一個故事。Měi (third tone, dipping) ge (neutral tone) chéngyǔ (second tone, rising) hòumiàn (fourth tone, falling) dōu (first tone, high and level) yǒu (third tone, dipping) yí (second tone, rising) ge (neutral tone) gùshi. (fourth tone, falling)···

  Behind every chengyu there is a story.

Similar words

Words containing 语

• 汉语/漢語Hànyǔ (fourth tone, falling)Chinese (the language)
• 语言/語言yǔ (third tone, dipping) yán (second tone, rising)language
• 英语/英語Yīng (first tone, high and level) yǔ (third tone, dipping)English (language)
• 语气/語氣yǔ (third tone, dipping) qì (fourth tone, falling)tone
• 语音/語音yǔ (third tone, dipping) yīn (first tone, high and level)speech sounds
• 言语/言語yán (second tone, rising) yǔ (third tone, dipping)words
• 话语/話語huà (fourth tone, falling) yǔ (third tone, dipping)words
• 法语/法語Fǎ (third tone, dipping) yǔ (third tone, dipping)French (language)
• 标语/標語biāo (first tone, high and level) yǔ (third tone, dipping)written slogan
• 词语/詞語cí (second tone, rising) yǔ (third tone, dipping)word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases)
• 日语/日語Rì (fourth tone, falling) yǔ (third tone, dipping)Japanese language
• 外语/外語wài (fourth tone, falling) yǔ (third tone, dipping)foreign language
• 华语/華語Huá (second tone, rising) yǔ (third tone, dipping)Chinese language
• 语法/語法yǔ (third tone, dipping) fǎ (third tone, dipping)grammar
• 自言自语/自言自語zì (fourth tone, falling) yán (second tone, rising) zì (fourth tone, falling) yǔ (third tone, dipping)to talk to oneself
• 俄语/俄語É (neutral tone) yǔ (third tone, dipping)Russian (language)
• 西班牙语/西班牙語Xī (first tone, high and level) bān (first tone, high and level) yá (second tone, rising) yǔ (third tone, dipping)Spanish language