Chengyu in use: meaning, grammar role and register
一举两得, 半途而废, 名副其实, 千方百计 and more: what they mean and where they go in a sentence.
Part of the free B2 Chinese course (about HSK 5). Examples are in Simplified characters, with pinyin only for some new or hard words; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
A chengyu has a grammar role
After Four-character expressions (成语): a first set, the next step is using 成语 (chéngyǔ) in your own sentences. Knowing the meaning isn't enough: each one behaves like a particular kind of word, and that decides where it can go.
| Chengyu | Pinyin | Meaning | Works like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一举两得 | yì jǔ liǎng dé | kill two birds with one stone | a predicate or 的 description |
| 半途而废 | bàntú ér fèi | give up halfway | a verb with no object |
| 名副其实 | míng fù qí shí | live up to its name | an adjective |
| 千方百计 | qiān fāng bǎi jì | by every possible means | an adverbial before a verb |
| 与众不同 | yǔ zhòng bù tóng | out of the ordinary | an adjective |
| 津津有味 | jīnjīn yǒu wèi | with relish | an adverbial or after 得 |
| 全力以赴 | quánlì yǐ fù | go all out | a verb with no object |
- 骑自行车上班既省钱又锻炼身体，真是一举两得。Cycling to work saves money and keeps you fit: two birds with one stone.
- 学外语最怕半途而废。The worst thing in learning a language is giving up halfway.
- 这家店的烤鸭名副其实，确实是全城最好的。This shop's roast duck lives up to its name: it really is the best in the city.
- 为了让孩子上好学校，他们千方百计地搬到了这个区。To get their child into a good school, they did everything they could to move to this district.
- 她的设计风格与众不同。Her design style is out of the ordinary.
- 孩子们津津有味地听爷爷讲故事。The children listened with relish to Grandpa's stories.
- 比赛的时候，每个队员都全力以赴。During the match, every player gave it their all.
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Chengyu are at home in writing, speeches and the news, but common ones like 一举两得 and 半途而废 are everyday speech too. One well-placed chengyu sounds educated; three in a text message sound stilted.
名副其实 is written with 副 ("to match"); dictionaries also list the variant 名符其实, but 名付其实 is wrong. Its opposite is 名不副实 (not living up to the name).
Common mistakes
他半途而废了这个计划。→ 这个计划半途而废了 / 他做事半途而废。半途而废 takes no object.他津津有味了一本小说。→ 他津津有味地看了一本小说。津津有味 describes how; it isn't a verb.她很努力，学习从来都半途而废。半途而废 is a criticism of quitting, so it can't describe hard work.名付其实→ 名副其实。A wrong character.
Practice
- 这个方法既省时间又省钱，真是_____。// This method saves both time and money: two birds with one stone.Options: 一举两得 · 半途而废 · 千方百计
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一举两得 — 一举两得: one action, two gains.
- 他学了三个月钢琴就不学了，真是_____。// He studied piano for three months and then quit, giving up halfway.Options: 半途而废 · 名副其实 · 一举两得
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半途而废 — 半途而废 = give up halfway.
- Which sentence uses 半途而废 correctly?Options: 做事不能半途而废。 · 他半途而废了这个计划。 · 她很努力，学习从来都半途而废。
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做事不能半途而废。 — 半途而废 takes no object, and it criticises quitting.
- 千方百计 usually works as…Options: an adverbial before the verb: 千方百计地寻找 · the object of a verb · a measure word
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an adverbial before the verb: 千方百计地寻找 — It describes how someone acts.