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指桑说槐
指桑说槐
指桑说槐
指桑说槐
指桑说槐
指桑说槐
指桑说槐
指桑说槐

指桑说槐 — “Point at the mulberry and scold the sophora”

指桑说槐 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to criticize someone indirectly by talking about another person or thing; to make veiled accusations”. Literally, “Point at the mulberry and scold the sophora”.

Frequency

指桑说槐 Pronunciation and Pinyin

指桑说槐 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
指
zhǐ9point, indicate, or refer
桑
sāng10mulberry tree
说
shuō9speak, say, explain
槐
huái13scholar tree

Example Sentence with 指桑说槐

经理对小王的工作表现不满,却当着其他员工的面指桑说槐,批评那些不负责任的行为。
The manager was displeased with Xiao Wang's work performance, but instead of confronting him directly, he criticized irresponsible behavior in front of other employees, implicitly targeting Xiao Wang.

Idioms Related to 指桑说槐

Synonyms of 指桑说槐

  • zhǐ指dōng东mà骂xī西criticize indirectly
  • zhǐ指sāng桑mà骂huái槐criticize indirectly
  • zhǐ指huái槐mà骂liǔ柳criticize indirectly

More idioms starting with 指

  • zhǐ指yī一shuō说shí十exaggerate a minor issue
  • zhǐ指bù不shèng胜lǚ偻too many to count
  • zhǐ指bù不shèng胜qū屈too many to count
  • zhǐ指bù不shèng胜shù数too numerous to count
  • zhǐ指dōng东huà划xī西talk evasively or beat around the bush
  • zhǐ指dōng东dǎ打xī西feint east, attack west
  • zhǐ指dōng东huà画xī西Beat around the bush
  • zhǐ指dōng东huà话xī西talk aimlessly or evasively
  • zhǐ指dōng东shuō说xī西Beat around the bush
  • zhǐ指shì事lèi类qíng情explain principles and illustrate situations
  • zhǐ指qīn亲tuō托gù故claim kinship or feign acquaintance

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Questions about 指桑说槐

What does 指桑说槐 mean?

指桑说槐 (zhǐ sāng shuō huái) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to criticize someone indirectly by talking about another person or thing; to make veiled accusations”.

How do you pronounce 指桑说槐?

指桑说槐 is pronounced zhǐ sāng shuō huái in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 指桑说槐 literally mean?

Literally, 指桑说槐 means “Point at the mulberry and scold the sophora”. It is used to mean “to criticize someone indirectly by talking about another person or thing; to make veiled accusations”.

What is the Chinese definition of 指桑说槐?

比喻明指此而暗骂彼。同“指桑骂槐”。

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