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 「刖趾適屨」, explained below.
This feature highlights the idiom 「刖趾適屨」, with its meaning and examples shown below.
Because the shoes were small and the feet were big, a piece of the foot was cut off to make it fit the size of the shoes. It is a metaphor for making unreasonable compromises or forcing things into something without considering specific conditions.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
yuè zhǐ shì jù
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
yut6 ji2 sik1 geui3
The sheer number of Chinese idioms and their varied meanings make them fascinating to study. Let these materials assist you as you advance your Chinese skills and understanding.
