Shareables · HSK 1 · 文 · Culture
成语 · 马马虎虎
Horse-horse-tiger-tiger: so-so, and the story of how careless gets you killed.
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马马虎虎mǎ ma hū hūso-so; careless, slapdash
逐字 · CHARACTER BY CHARACTER
| Character | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 马 | mǎ | horse |
| 马 | ma | horse |
| 虎 | hū | tiger |
| 虎 | hū | tiger |
The story goes that a careless painter drew an animal with the head of a horse and the body of a tiger. One son took it for a horse and was killed by a tiger; the other took it for a tiger and shot a horse. Careless work, the tale says, costs more than it saves.
用法 · IN USE
Nǐ de Zhōngwén zěnmeyàng? Mǎmahūhū.你的中文怎么样？马马虎虎。How's your Chinese? So-so.
The most useful modest answer in Chinese.
More from HSK 1
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- 日常动作 · Everyday Actions — The 11 words of Everyday Actions, with readings.
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- 学习与工作 · School, Work and Study — The 9 words of School, Work and Study, with readings.
- 家人与人际 · Family and People — The 9 words of Family and People, with readings.
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