What does 指桑骂槐 mean?

指桑骂槐 (zhǐ sāng mà huái) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make indirect accusations”.

How do you pronounce 指桑骂槐?

指桑骂槐 is pronounced zhǐ sāng mà huái in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 指桑骂槐 literally mean?

Literally, 指桑骂槐 means “point at the mulberry and scold the locust”. It is used to mean “to make indirect accusations”.

Where does 指桑骂槐 come from?

指桑骂槐 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 指桑骂槐?

指着桑树骂槐树。比喻表面上骂这个人，实际上是骂那个人。

指桑骂槐 — “To make indirect accusations”

指桑骂槐 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make indirect accusations”. To criticize by innuendo; to scold one person by ostensibly scolding another or something else. Literally, “point at the mulberry and scold the locust”.

Frequency

指桑骂槐 Pronunciation and Pinyin

指zhǐ
桑sāng
骂mà
槐huái

指桑骂槐 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
指	zhǐ	9	point, indicate, or refer
桑	sāng	10	mulberry tree
骂	mà	9	scold or insult
槐	huái	13	scholar tree

Example Sentence with 指桑骂槐

经理没有直接批评小李，而是开会时指桑骂槐，提醒大家注意工作效率。

The manager didn't directly criticize Xiao Li, but instead, during the meeting, resorted to pointing at the mulberry and scolding the locust, reminding everyone to pay attention to work efficiency.

Origin and Story of 指桑骂槐

On the day of Jia Zheng's birthday, Eunuch Xia arrived to announce that Jia Zheng was summoned to the imperial court. The good news was that Yuan Chun had been elevated to the rank of Virtuous Consort.

The entire Jia household rejoiced with excitement, except for Baoyu, who seemed oblivious, as he was preoccupied with Daiyu's return.

After Jia Lian returned with Daiyu, he met with Fengjie. Fengjie poured out her heart, complaining about how difficult it was to manage the household. She said that people were constantly 'pointing at the mulberry and scolding the locust,' indirectly complaining and criticizing her management.

Idioms Related to 指桑骂槐

Synonyms of 指桑骂槐

Antonyms of 指桑骂槐

More idioms starting with 指

Questions about 指桑骂槐

What does 指桑骂槐 mean?: 指桑骂槐 (zhǐ sāng mà huái) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make indirect accusations”.
How do you pronounce 指桑骂槐?: 指桑骂槐 is pronounced zhǐ sāng mà huái in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 指桑骂槐 literally mean?: Literally, 指桑骂槐 means “point at the mulberry and scold the locust”. It is used to mean “to make indirect accusations”.
Where does 指桑骂槐 come from?: 指桑骂槐 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 指桑骂槐?: 指着桑树骂槐树。比喻表面上骂这个人，实际上是骂那个人。

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