Boost Your Chinese Vocabulary With These Revised Coronavirus Idioms

Mandarin Monday is a weekly column where we help you improve your Chinese by detailing learning tips, fun and practical phrases, and trends.

Reading Chinese idioms is like reading browsing ancient Chinese social media. Proverbs derived from the knowledge, feelings, and circumstances of Chinese intellectuals and writers many moons ago now give us a snapshot into their lives as captured in concise four-character utterances. Given the huge (and growing) impact that the coronavirus has had on all of us this year, it only natural then that some of these phrases be given a reboot to reflect the times. That's exactly what China's netizens have done, adapting and coopting old idioms (成语 chéngyǔ) to express their emotions and get creative in the face of an otherwise harrowing historical moment.

别来无恙 bié lái wúyàng

别来无恙's original meaning is "Nothing bad has happened since the last time we met." In the original idiom, 别 bié means "parted" but here it is interpreted as “don’t,” modifying the idiom's meaning to "Please don’t come to visit us, then everyone will be fine."

大义灭亲 dàyìmièqīn - 大疫灭亲 dàyìmièqīn

This idiom is used to praise people who don’t help or shield their family members from the authorities if they have committed a crime. By replacing 义 yì "justice" with 疫 yì "plague," this adapted version reminds people not to conceal their family's (ill) health, and specifically, not to let them gather during Chinese New Year.

量入为出 liàngrùwéichū - 量入为出 liángrùwéichū

出 chū and 入 rù refer to expenditure and income in the original idiom 量入为出, meaning "Consider your earnings before you spend." For a new coronavirus twist, they've been switched for "outside" and "enter," respectively, altering the final saying to mean "The body temperature of anyone who wants to enter the compound should be taken."

敬而远之 jìng'éryuǎnzhī

This idiom was derived from a part of the Analects, where Confucius told his students to both respect and avoid supernatural spirits. With regard to the coronavirus, the same advice rings true.

朝夕相处 zhāoxīxiāngchǔ - 罩夕相处 zhào xī xiāngchǔ

In its original form, 朝 zhāo and 夕 xī indicate morning and evening respectively, and the idiom signifies spending night and day with someone or something. Given that masks now accompany us no matter where we go, 朝 here has been switched for the heteronym 罩 zhào, meaning cover or mask (as in 口罩).

口无遮拦 kǒu wú zhēlán - 口捂遮拦 kǒu wǔ zhēlán

Here, the original saying 口无遮拦 is used to describe someone who is straightforward to the extent that they are regarded as rude, inconsiderate, or has such a big mouth that they're unable to keep a secret to themselves. The character 无 wú means "no" or "do not" and when replaced by 捂 wǔ "cover," acts as a reminder for people to cover their mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.

通风报信 tōngfēng bàoxìn

通风报信 describes tipping someone off about the location of an opponent or rival. 通风 tōngfēng is a metaphor for sending a message by taking advantage of flaws in the system. The pandemic version, on the other hand, choose to use the literal meaning of these two actions, 通风 tōngfēng "ventilation" and 报信 bàoxìn "report" to describe how you should keep your families, friends, and others updated as to your health condition.

沾沾自喜 zhānzhānzìxǐ - 沾沾自洗 zhānzhānzìxǐ

沾沾自喜 pokes fun at complacent individuals who are satisfied with their otherwise minor accomplishments. 沾沾 zhānzhān can be interpreted as "play the peacock" while 自喜 zìxǐ means "complacent." In the adapted version, 沾沾 zhānzhān becomes a repetition of the action 沾 zhān "be stained" and 喜 xǐ is replaced with 洗 xǐ "wash" to make the final saying “Wash your (hands or body) if you touch anything."

刻不容缓 kèbùrónghuǎn - 咳不容缓 kébùrónghuǎn

The original idiom 刻不容缓 expresses how in an urgent situation there must be no delay. 刻 kè is a traditional measurement of time in ancient China (and is still used to this day), which is approximately 15 minutes. By using 咳 ké "cough" instead, the updated idiom warns people to take serious and rapid measures should you start coughing.

不约而同 bùyuē'értóng

不约而同 describes a situation in which people reach an agreement without any special arrangements or communication, with 约 yuē meaning 约定 yuēdìng "promises." In the new version, 约 yuē is used as in 约会 yuēhuì "meeting" or "gathering." Therefore, the updated idiom indicates that it's now common understanding that we should no longer go to parties gatherings.

以毒攻毒 yǐdúgōngdú - 以独攻毒 yǐdúgōngdú

This idiom derives from the traditional medical practice of discovering that one poison can actually be the antidote for another poison, becoming a metaphor to mean "using one harmful thing to prevent another one from developing." The modernized version switches the first 毒 to the homophone 独 dú "alone" and alters the meaning of the second 毒 dú from poison to "virus," giving rise to some particularly sage advice: "Staying alone is the best way to stop the spread of the virus."

义不容辞 yìbùróngcí - 疫不容辞 yìbùróngcí

义不容辞 describes the feeling of something being mandatory, where 义 yì means 义务 yìwù "obligation." The updated version replaces 义 with 疫 yì "plague," describing instead the determination of the medical staff and people who are working on the frontlines to battle the new coronavirus.

一心一意 yīxīnyīyì - 亿心移疫 yì xīn yí yì

The original meaning of this idiom is to devote oneself to something with undivided attention. Under current circumstances, this is not a battle that can be won by 一 yī "one," but needs the efforts of 亿 yì "billions" of people to 移 yí "expel" the epidemic from society.

朝三暮四 zhāosānmùsì - 罩三暮四 zhào sānmùsì

Finally, 朝三暮四 is used to mock people who are indecisive or fickle. As seen in the idiom 朝夕相处 above, 朝 zhāo "morning" is again replaced by 罩 zhào "mask," therefore making light of how the price of masks were so quick to change with the encroachment of the virus.

READ: Learn Some Viral Mandarin to Fight Coronavirus Boredom

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