Understanding Chinese starts with simple characters, grows to phrases, and finally idioms. Learn 「丹書鐵契」 today for free with this guide.
This time, our spotlight is on the idiom 「丹書鐵契」. Its meaning and how it’s applied are described below.
Cinnabar writing: writing with cinnabar; iron deed: a certificate made of iron. A certificate granted by ancient emperors to meritorious officials to allow them to enjoy preferential treatment or be exempt from punishment for generations. The diploma is written in red on an iron plate, hence the name.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
dān shū tiě qì
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
daan1 syu1 tit3 kai3
Chinese idioms come in large numbers, with diverse meanings and usages, offering endless learning opportunities. We hope these resources make it easier for you to study Chinese.
