Don't End Up a Lightbulb by Mastering These 10 Three-Character Chinese Idioms
Learning Chinese can be a real pain in the pigu. 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.
电灯泡 (diàn dēng pào)
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 péng yǒu jīn wǎn qù kàn diàn yǐng, 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 diàn dēng pào. 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 dà tuǐ)
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 kè hù, kěyǐ ná dào bù shǎo jī xiào jiǎng jīn! 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 yào bào dà tuǐ! Congratulations! Wish I could ride your coattails!
背黑锅 (bēi hēi guō)
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 Xiaowang shown up yet? I hope to God that he doesn't drop the ball at the last minute!
死胡同 (sǐ hú tòng)
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 rèn wéi zhège shì jiè shàng yǒu sǐ hú tòng. Zhǐ yào nǐ nǔlì, zǒng néng zhǎo dào chūlù! There's no such thing as a true dead-end – where there’s a will, there’s a way!
绊脚石 (bàn jiǎo shí)
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, ruò zhě bǎ kàn chéng bàn jiǎo shí, qiáng zhě bǎ tā dàng chéng diàn jiǎo shí. The weak-minded see misfortune as a stumbling block, while the strong-minded see it as a stepping stone.
钻空子 (zuān kòngzi)
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。Gōng sī yī dàn guǎn lǐ bù yán, jiù huì yǒu rén shì tú zuān kòng zi. Once the company starts to become poorly-managed, someone will try to take advantage of it.
门外汉 (mén wài hàn)
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 yī gè yuè de shí jiān, hái wán quán shìgè mén wài hàn ne! I’ve only been learning this for a month – I'm still a total amateur!
开小差 (kāi xiǎo chāi)
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 shàng kè yī zhí kāi xiǎo chāi, lǎo shī jiǎng de nèi róng yī jù dōu méi tīng jìn qù. He’s been absent-minded throughout the entire class and didn’t catch a single word of the teacher's.
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