Learning Chinese is easier with our free resources! This series explains idioms and proverbs, valuable for various situations. Today’s idiom is 「買犁賣劍」, with more below.
Learn about the idiom 「買犁賣劍」: its definition and how it’s used are detailed here.
Originally it meant to lay down arms and engage in farming. Later it is used to describe changing one’s job to become a farmer or a bad person turning from evil to good. Same as “buying a plow and selling a sword.”
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
mǎi lí mài jiàn
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
maai5 lai4 maai6 gim3
Chinese idioms encompass an enormous variety, each rich in its meanings and uses. We’ve compiled these resources to support your efforts in learning the language.
