少见多怪 — “Little seen, much surprised”
少见多怪 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be easily surprised or make a fuss over things that are common to those with more experience; to be easily astonished due to limited exposure or narrow views. Often used to mock those with shallow knowledge or limited experience”. Literally, “Little seen, much surprised”.
少见多怪 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 少shǎo
- 见jiàn
- 多duō
- 怪guài
少见多怪 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 少见多怪
Origin and Story of 少见多怪
During the Tang Dynasty, the essayist Liu Zongyuan was demoted to the position of Sima in Yongzhou, Hunan, after Wang Shuwenzhi lost power.
While in Yongzhou, he received a letter from Wei Zhongli requesting to become his student, which deeply moved him.
He immediately wrote a reply, “Letter in Response to Wei Zhongli on the Importance of Teachers” (《答韦中立论师道书》), expressing a view: it is common for those with limited experience to be easily surprised by unusual things, and the idiom "Shu dogs bark at the sun" (蜀犬吠日) is a typical example of this.
Idioms Related to 少见多怪
Synonyms of 少见多怪
Antonyms of 少见多怪
More idioms starting with 少
- shào少bù不gēng更shì事young and inexperienced
- shào少bù不jīng经shì事Young and inexperienced
- shǎo少chī吃jiǎn俭yòng用eat less and use sparingly
- shǎo少chī吃quē缺chuān穿lacking food and clothing
- shào少zhuàng壮bù不nǔ努lì力，，lǎo老dà大tú徒shāng伤bēi悲Work hard in youth or regret in old age
- shào少zhuàng壮pài派vigorous young generation
- shǎo少tóu头méi没wěi尾incomplete or poorly done
- shǎo少tóu头quē缺wěi尾incomplete or fragmentary
- shào少nǚ女nèn嫩fù妇young and delicate women
- shǎo少ān安wù勿zào躁be patient, do not be impatient
- shǎo少ān安wú无zào躁Calm down and be patient
- shǎo少ān安wú毋zào躁Be patient and calm
Questions about 少见多怪
- What does 少见多怪 mean?
- 少见多怪 (shǎo jiàn duō guài) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be easily surprised or make a fuss over things that are common to those with more experience; to be easily astonished due to limited exposure or narrow views. Often used to mock those with shallow knowledge or limited experience”.
- How do you pronounce 少见多怪?
- 少见多怪 is pronounced shǎo jiàn duō guài in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 少见多怪 literally mean?
- Literally, 少见多怪 means “Little seen, much surprised”. It is used to mean “to be easily surprised or make a fuss over things that are common to those with more experience; to be easily astonished due to limited exposure or narrow views. Often used to mock those with shallow knowledge or limited experience”.
- Where does 少见多怪 come from?
- 少见多怪 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 少见多怪?
- 见闻少的人遇到不常见的事物就觉得奇怪。后常用来嘲笑见识浅陋的人。