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Home Practical Chinese Daily Figurative Slangs (29)
Daily Figurative Slangs (29)
Learn Chinese - Practical Chinese
每日惯用语 (29)
紧箍咒

【注音】jǐn gū zhòu
【解释】《西游记》里的猴王头上有道金箍,猴王的师傅一念咒语,猴王就感到疼痛难忍。所以,紧箍咒就是让人听了感到头疼或有顾忌的东西。
Originally from the classic novel “Pilgrimage to the West”, the Monkey King wears a golden hoop around his head, reading of this incantation by the monk will make the monkey suffer greatly so as to keep him under control. Now, it's used as a metaphor for inhibitions that give people headaches.
【例子】
例:父母想让儿子上一个好的大学,常常在儿子面前念这道紧箍咒,现在虽然儿子已经考上了大学,但一听到考大学这几个字,就头疼。

Ex.:The parents often use “you’ve got to enter a good college” to whip their son. Now that their son has already been a college student, but still feels headache at the mere mention of the words “entering college”.

开绿灯
Give the green light

【注音】kāi lǜ dēng
【解释】交通法规:红灯停,绿灯行,为某某开绿灯就是给他方便,给他特殊政策。
As the traffic regulation goes, red light is the sign for stop while green light is for go-ahead. Therefore, to give somebody green light is to give him special privilege.
【例子】
例:孙厂长对夫人吼道:“不能用公车干私活儿,如果给你开这样的绿灯,我这个厂长还怎么干了?”

Ex.:Mr.Sun, Director of the factory, shouted at his wife:“We should never use public car for private business. If I give you this privilege, how can I work as the director of the factory?”
 

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