碰钉子 (pèngdīngzi) Being rejected / Being turned down (Intermediate)

碰钉子 (pèngdīngzi) Being rejected / Being turned down 

The character “碰 (pèng)” means to run into; “钉 (dīng)” means nail or tack

and “子 (zi)” is used as a suffix here.

Example:

Tā zài bànshì de shíhou pèngle dīngzi, huíjiā hòu xīnqíng bùhǎo. 他在办事的时候碰了钉子,回家后心情不好。

He …

网虫 (wǎngchóng) People who always surf the internet (Intermediate)

网虫 (wǎngchóng) People who always surf the internet 

The character “网 (wǎng)” means net and “虫 (chóng)” means insect or worm.

Example:

Suízhe hùliánwǎng de fēisù fāzhǎn, xiànzài wǎngchóng yuèláiyuèduō le. 随着互联网的飞速发展,现在网虫越来越多了 With the rapid development of the Internet, there are more and more people …

泼冷水 (pōlěngshuǐ) Pour cold water on / Dampen the enthusiasm of (Advanced)

泼冷水 (pōlěnɡshuǐ) Pour cold water on / Dampen the enthusiasm of 

The character “泼 (pō)” means to pour or to throw; “冷 (lěng)” means cold

and “水 (shuǐ)” means water.

Example:

Tā běnlái jiù xìnxīn bù zú, nǐ jiù bié gěi tā pōlěngshuǐ le. 他本来就信心不足,你就别给他泼冷水了。 …

开小差 (kāi xiǎochāi) Be absent-minded (Intermediate)

开小差 (kāi xiǎochāi) Be absent-minded 

The character “开 (kāi)” means open; “小 (xiǎo)” means small or little and “差

(chāi)” means errand or job. Example: Tā yèlǐ méi shuì hǎo, báitiān shàngkè shí sīxiǎng zǒng kāi xiǎochāi. 他夜里没睡好, 白天上课时思想总开小差。

He can’t sleep well at night …

直肠子 (zhíchángzi) Straightforward Person (Advanced)

直肠子 (zhíchángzi) Straightforward Person 

“直肠子 (zhíchángzi)” is the phrase for “Straightforward person.” The character “直 (zhí)” means straight or upright and “肠子 (chángzi)” means intestine.

Example:

Gébì Zhāng dàmā zhēn shì gè zhíchángzi, yǒu shá jiù shuō shá. 隔壁张大妈真是个直肠子,有啥就说啥。 Aunt Zhang next door is a …

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