What is a chengyu?
HSK 5 Unit 6: Chengyu, four-character idioms · Lesson 1 of 5 · About 26 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can understand what chengyu are and how they are used, and use five common everyday idioms correctly.
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 万 mean?
That is 具有 (jùyǒu).
That is 摔 (shuāi).
Show the answer
Answer: C, ten thousand.
万 (wàn) means ten thousand.
Characters
Which word means “plan, proposal”?
同时 (tóngshí) means at the same time, meanwhile.
要求 (yāoqiú) means requirement, to require.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 方案.
“plan, proposal” is 方案 (fāng'àn).
New words
Chengyu
成语 (chéngyǔ) are fixed expressions, usually four characters, many of them from old stories and classical texts. They are compact and vivid. Use them where they fit; too many make your speech sound unnatural.
| Chengyu | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 一举两得 | one action, two gains |
| 马马虎虎 | careless; so-so |
| 一路平安 | have a safe journey |
| 千方百计 | by every possible means |
| 自言自语 | to talk to oneself |
骑自行车上班，既能锻炼身体，又能省钱，真是一举两得。
Qí zìxíngchē shàngbān, jì néng duànliàn shēntǐ, yòu néng shěngqián, zhēnshi yìjǔ liǎngdé.
Cycling to work gives you exercise and saves money: two birds with one stone.
他做事很马马虎虎。
Tā zuòshì hěn mǎmǎ hūhū.
He's very careless in what he does.
祝你一路平安！
Zhù nǐ yílù píng'ān!
Have a safe journey!
Not:
我很一举两得。But: 这真是一举两得。 Zhè zhēnshi yìjǔ liǎngdé.
Each chengyu has its own grammar: 一举两得 describes a situation, not a person.
Characters
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
Idioms in daily life
Sophie asks Professor Yang how often Chinese people really use chengyu.
Listen first
Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.
Helpful words: 哈哈 hāhā ha ha; 平时 píngshí usually; 常用 chángyòng commonly used; 谦虚 qiānxū modest; 省钱 shěngqián to save money
Listening
Listen first. How does Sophie describe her Chinese?
Show the answer
Answer: A, so-so.
我的汉语马马虎虎.
Listening
Why is learning on the subway 一举两得?
Show the answer
Answer: B, She doesn't waste time and learns Chinese..
既不浪费时间，又能学汉语.
Show the transcript
苏菲
中国人平时说话常用成语吗？
Do Chinese people use chengyu much in everyday speech?
杨教授
常用的有一些，比如“一路平安”“马马虎虎”。
Some common ones, like 一路平安 and 马马虎虎.
苏菲
我的汉语马马虎虎。
My Chinese is so-so.
杨教授
哈哈，你用得很对！不过别太谦虚。
Ha, you used that correctly! But don't be too modest.
苏菲
我每天在地铁上学习成语，既不浪费时间，又能学汉语。
I learn chengyu on the subway every day; I don't waste time, and I learn Chinese.
杨教授
这就是一举两得！
That's killing two birds with one stone!
Speak: listen, record, compare
Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.
Recordings stay in this browser tab: nothing is uploaded, and they disappear when you leave the page unless you save a copy of a task recording to your device yourself. Your browser asks for the microphone first.
Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
常用的有一些，比如“一路平安”“马马虎虎”。
Chángyòng de yǒu yì xiē, bǐrú “yílù píng'ān” “mǎmǎ hūhū”.
Some common ones, like 一路平安 and 马马虎虎.
这就是一举两得！
Zhè jiù shì yìjǔ liǎngdé!
That's killing two birds with one stone!
我的汉语马马虎虎。
Wǒ de Hànyǔ mǎmǎ hūhū.
My Chinese is so-so.
Practice
Meaning
What does 一举两得 mean?
That is 偷 (tōu).
That is 什么 (shénme).
Show the answer
Answer: A, to kill two birds with one stone.
一举两得 (yìjǔ liǎngdé) means to kill two birds with one stone.
Characters
Which word means “careless, so-so”?
另一方面 (lìng yì fāngmiàn) means on the other hand.
总的来说 (zǒng de lái shuō) means on the whole.
Show the answer
Answer: C, 马马虎虎.
“careless, so-so” is 马马虎虎 (mǎmǎ hūhū).
Word order
Put the words in order: That's killing two birds with one stone!
- 就
- 这
- 一举两得
- 是
Show the answer
这就是一举两得 Zhè jiù shì yìjǔ liǎngdé!
That's killing two birds with one stone!
这就是一举两得！ The sentence comes from this lesson's text.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
千方百计 qiānfāng bǎijì
That would be 竖 (shù).
That would be 伤心 (shāngxīn).
Show the answer
Answer: C, by every possible means.
You heard 千方百计 (qiānfāng bǎijì): by every possible means.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “to talk to oneself” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 自言自语
“to talk to oneself” is 自言自语 (zìyán zìyǔ).
In context
A friend is leaving on a long trip. What do you say?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 祝你一路平安！.
祝你一路平安！: 一路平安: have a safe journey.
Fill the gap
Complete: Walking to work saves money and is healthy: two birds with one stone.
走路上班，真是＿＿。
Show the answer
Answer: B, 一举两得.
一举两得.
In context
Your colleague makes many careless mistakes. How do you describe him?
Show the answer
Answer: A, 他做事很马马虎虎。.
他做事很马马虎虎。: 马马虎虎: careless.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for idiom (four-character)
Show the answer
Answer: 成语
成语: idiom.
Idioms in your life
Use each of the five idioms in a sentence about your own life, out loud.
- Something that is 一举两得 for you.
- Something you do 马马虎虎.
- A time you did something 千方百计.
Sentence frames
＿＿，真是一举两得。
＿＿, zhēnshi yìjǔ liǎngdé.
..., it really is two birds with one stone.
Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:
Review and finish
Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.
- I can explain what a chengyu is.
- I can use five everyday chengyu correctly.
Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.