▎成語, chéngyŭ, 四字格, Four-Character Phrases

 

Function The four-character expressions are ready-made phrases, e.g., 萬事如意wànshì rúyì, ‘May everything go your way.’, 心想事成xīnxiǎng shìchéng, ‘May all your wishes come true.’, 生日快樂shēngrì kuàilè, ‘Happy birthday.’, 步步高升bùbù gāoshēng, ‘Keep advancing in your career.’, 年年有餘niánnián yǒuyú, ‘Enjoy abundance every year.’, and 恭喜發財gōngxǐ fācái, ‘Be happy and prosper.’ Four-character expressions are frequently used due to their concise form but rich meaning. Different internal structures typically convey different meanings.

(1) In ‘大 A 大 B’, A and B are two mono-syllabic units of similar meaning. The pattern usually serves as the predicate in a sentence, to indicate ‘very A & B’, ‘greatly A & B’, or ‘having lots of A & B’.

1 吃橘子是希望新的一年大吉大利。(very)

Chī júzi shì xīwàng xīn de yì nián dàjí dàlì.

Eating tangerines represents the hope that the New Year will be a very lucky and prosperous one.

2 過年的時候，家家大魚大肉，慶祝新年。(abundance)

Guònián de shíhòu, jiājiā dàyú dàròu, qìngzhù xīnnián.

During the Spring Festival, every household prepares lots of fish and meat to ring in the New Year.

3 睡覺以前大吃大喝相當不健康。(in abundance)

Shuìjiào yǐqián dàchī dàhē xiāngdāng bú jiànkāng.

Eating and drinking a lot before bed is rather unhealthy.

4 張先生、張太太常因為小孩的事，大吵大鬧。(great noises)

Zhāng xiānshēng, Zhāng tàitai cháng yīnwèi xiǎohái de shì, dàchǎo dànào.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang often have big fights because of issues surrounding their children.

(2) The pattern, ‘有 A 有 B’, usually serves as the predicate in a sentence. A and B are two mono-syllabic units whose meanings can be opposite. They can be state verbs, nouns, or action verbs. The pattern may indicate ‘some A, some B’ as in 1 and 2. The pattern may indicate ‘have A and B’, as in 3 and 4. The pattern may indicate ‘experience A and B’, as in 5 and 6.

1 那家店的水果有好有壞，得慢慢地選。

Nà jiā diàn de shuǐguǒ yǒuhǎo yǒuhuài, děi mànmàn de xuǎn.

Some of that store’s fruit is good; some is bad. You have to select carefully.

2 這些小吃有甜有鹹，你想吃什麼就買什麼。

Zhèxiē xiǎochī yǒutián yǒuxián, nǐ xiǎng chī shénme jiù mǎi shénme.

There are both sweet and savory snacks here, so get whatever you are hungry for.

3 這附近有山有水，風景真美。

Zhè fùjìn yǒushān yǒushuǐ, fēngjǐng zhēn měi.

There are both mountains and water around here. The scenery is really beautiful.

4 他有名有姓，你不可以叫他「喂」，太不客氣了。

Tā yǒumíng yǒuxìng, nǐ bù kěyǐ jiào tā ‘wèi’, tài bú kèqì le.

He has a name, calling him ‘hey you’ is not good form.

5 我們昨天去參加學校的活動，有吃有喝，很開心。

Wǒmen zuótiān qù cānjiā xuéxiào de huódòng, yǒuchī yǒuhē, hěn kāixīn.

We took part in a school activity yesterday. There were things to eat and drink. We were happy. (i.e., We had great fun.)

6 大家一邊吃飯、一邊說話，有說有笑的。

Dàjiā yìbiān chīfàn, yībiān shuōhuà, yǒushuō yǒuxiào de.

We ate and talked. There was good conversation and laughter.

 

Usage

(1) Different four-character formats have different productivity. For example, there are more expressions in the ‘有A 有 B’ format than in the ‘大 A 大 B’ format. Further examples of ‘有 A 有 B’ format include: 有高有低yǒugāo yǒudī ‘some high, some low’, 有快有慢yǒukuài yǒumàn ‘some fast, some slow’, 有新有舊yǒuxīn yǒujiù ‘some new, some old’.

(2) Some four-character expressions have specific meaning which resists analysis and requires memorization. Examples:

1 有頭有臉yǒutóu yǒuliǎn ( – of a situation or occasion, describes having been done properly, with dignity, or in a way that brings honor. – of a person, describes one who is respected and may be of status, prestige, or authority.)

2 有聲有色yǒushēng yǒusè ( – lit. having sound and color, describes an impressive display, something dazzling.)

(3) Not all units of similar meaning can fit into the ‘大 A 大 B’ pattern. The following examples are not OK: ＊大平大安dàpíng dàān, ＊大跑大跳dàpǎo dàtiào, ＊大清大楚dàqīng dàchǔ, ＊大快大樂dàkuài dàlè. In fact, most four-character formats accept only a limited set of units.

(4) In addition to meanings, the most important things to learn about 成語 or 四字格 are their ‘functions’ in a sentence, i.e., they function as subject, object, modifier, adverbial, complement, commentary, or predicate.