4 characters Idiom and proverb 18 188

Our free resources help you explore Chinese idioms and proverbs. These phrases are full of meaning and widely applicable. Today, we introduce 「梅妻鶴子」—details below.

Learn about the idiom 「梅妻鶴子」: its definition and how it’s used are detailed here.

He takes plum as his wife and crane as his son. A metaphor for being noble or secluded. Lin Bu of the Song Dynasty lived in seclusion on Gushan Island in West Lake, where he planted plum trees and raised cranes. He never married in his life and people called him “Plum Wife and Crane Son.”

The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :

méi qī hè zǐ

while its Cantonese pinyin is :

mui4 chai1 hok2 ji2

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.