Mandarin Essentials

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 …

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