Category: News Vocabulary

跑腿 (pǎotuǐ) run errands Usage: “跑腿”常用的意思有两个：一是指帮人奔走办事，通常是可以拿到报酬的，不过有时也是免费为人服务的。二是指从事一些经常要来回奔波的打杂工作。"跑腿 (pǎotuǐ)" has two meanings. One is to serve others for money or for free. The other is to run here and there to do odds and ends for oneself.

得手 (Dé shǒu) to succeed in doing something smoothly Usage: “得手”比喻事情办得顺利，取得了成功。常用于贬义。“得手” metaphorically means to succeed in doing something smoothly. It is often used derogatorily.

卖关子 (Mài guānzi) stop a story at a climax to keep the listeners in suspense; keep others guessing

风凉话 (Fēng liáng huà) an onlooker's unsolicited comments Usage: “风凉话”指嘲讽别人的话语，说话人借此来打击别人的积极性，让别人生气或者感到不舒服。“风凉话”means discouraging or taunting somebody.

闷葫芦 (mèn húlu) an enigma; a puzzle Usage: 葫芦的形状是肚子大口小，因为这个特点，所以想倒出装在里面的水很难。“闷葫芦”是指不太爱说话的人，就像葫芦一样，心事很难让人猜透。The shape of calabash gourd is small mouth and big belly. It’s hard to pour out the water inside of it. “闷葫芦”means a person who does not speak a lot as a calabash gourd or an enigma that is difficult to understand.

跳槽  (tiàocáo) job hopping Usage: “跳槽”的本义是指牲口离开原来的食槽去另一个食槽吃食。比喻人辞职另外找新工作。The original meaning of “跳槽” is that cattle jump the trough to eat in another one. It metaphorically means to abandon one’s occupation in favor of another or to change one’s job.

软柿子 (ruǎn shìzi) a push-over Usage: “软柿子”本义是指比较软的柿子，有句歇后语“老太太吃柿子——拣软的捏”，因为软些的柿子吃起来比较容易。而这句歇后语的意思是说软弱的人很容易被欺负。因此“软柿子”引申指比较软弱，容易被欺负的人。“软柿子(ruǎn shìzi)” originally and literally means a soft persimmon. There is a Chinese wisecrack “老太太吃柿子——拣软的捏(lǎotàitai chī shìzi—jiǎn ruǎn de niē)” meaning that fable persons are easily bulled by others. “软柿子(ruǎn shìzi)” extendedly refers fable people, which shares the same meaning with the English idiom “a push-over”.

小菜一碟 (Xiǎocài yìdié) a piece of cake Usage: “小菜一碟”的本义是指一小盘菜，比喻不重要的或者很容易做到的事情。The original meaning of "小菜一碟" is a small dish. It is a metaphor of something that is not important or very easy to do.

本文为2013中国汉字听写大会9月27日周五晚 第九期大赛题目及详解，内容仅供参考。

里程碑 (lǐchéng bēi) milestone Usage: “里程碑” 本义指标志公路及城市郊区道路里程的碑石， 每一公里设一块，用以计算里程和标志地点位置。后比喻在事物发展过程中具有重大意义的事件。The original meaning of“里程碑”is stele to mark the mileage of the highway and the road in the urban and rural area. One stele is set up for one kilometers to calculate the mileage and mark the location. Now it’s used as a metaphor that something plays an important role during the development.