General culture

General culture

Common learned behavior patterns that are acquired by people as members of a society.

Industry: Culture

Add a new term

Contributors in General culture

alice1

Beijing, China

Terms

Blossaries

Followers

Become a Contributors

General culture

守株待兔 Shoŭ zhū daì tù

Culture; General culture

This idiom means to "sit around waiting for opportunities" but the story behind it is quite entertaining. Once upon a time, a rabbit was running away from something or other and ran smack into a ...

Zì yoú zì zaì is that old free and easy feeling. It can be said of a person's (or animal's, I suppose) attitude, personality, or behavior, or can describe the a feeling, whether given by a place or a ...

脚踏实地 Jiào Tá Shí Dì

Culture; General culture

This idiom literally means to walk or step on solid ground. Basically, it's a way of saying 'focus on the fundamentals, keep working hard, and don't stop'. This is a great saying for bosses to ...

对牛弹琴 Duì niú tán qín

Culture; General culture

Similar to the English expression - "to cast pearls before swine" - this idiom means to "play the qin (an ancient Chinese wind instrument) for a cow." It is usually used to indicate that someone is ...

入乡随俗 Rù xiāng súi sú

Culture; General culture

For Westerners, China can seem a very unfamiliar place; there's strange food, strange customs, and a strange language. The best thing you can do is repeat this Chinese idiom to yourself, which has ...

自相矛盾 Zì xiāng máo dùn

Culture; General culture

The meaning of this idiom is relatively straightforward - "self-contradictory" - but the story behind it is fascinating. It comes from an ancient tale of a salesman who claimed that he sold a spear ...

画蛇添足 Huà shé tiān zú

Culture; General culture

Literally, this idiom means to draw a snake but add a foot. The meaning behind it is that something has been ruined by trying to add something unnecessary. We have a similar expression in English, ...