We’re offering free resources to help you learn Chinese. In this series, idioms and proverbs take center stage, known for their deep meanings and versatile usage. Today’s idiom is 「秀才人情」, explained below.
Our focus this time is on the idiom 「秀才人情」. You’ll find its definition and examples below.
In the old days, most scholars were poor. When they met people to interact with, they could not afford to buy gifts, so they could only cut paper and write letters. As the saying goes, “A scholar’s favor is only half a piece of paper.” It usually means that the gift is too small.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
xiù cái rén qíng
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
sau3 choi4 yan4 ching4
Chinese idioms are vast in number, each carrying unique meanings and usages. With such variety, there’s a lot to learn and appreciate. Hopefully, these resources will aid you on your journey to mastering Chinese.
