Progress in Chinese starts with characters, then words, finally idioms. Here’s a free look at 「尾大難掉」 and its explanation.
This time, we’re looking at the idiom 「尾大難掉」. Its meaning and application are provided below.
It’s like saying that the tail is too big to be removed. In the old days, it was used to describe subordinates who were too powerful and impossible to command or dispatch. It is now used to describe an organization that is too large and has poor command.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
wěi dà nán diào
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
mei5 daai6 naan4 diu6
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.
