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吃闭门羹
吃闭门羹
吃闭门羹
吃闭门羹
吃闭门羹
吃闭门羹
吃闭门羹
吃闭门羹

吃闭门羹 — “To be denied entry or given a cold reception when visiting someone”

吃闭门羹 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be denied entry or given a cold reception when visiting someone”. To be shut out. Literally, “Eat closed-door soup”.

Frequency

吃闭门羹 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 吃chī
  • 闭bì
  • 门mén
  • 羹gēng

吃闭门羹 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
吃
chī6to eat
闭
bì6to close, shut, or block
门
mén3door, gate, entrance
羹
gēng19thick soup or stew

Example Sentence with 吃闭门羹

他去拜访朋友,没想到朋友不在家,只好吃了闭门羹
He went to visit his friend, but unexpectedly, the friend was not home, so he was denied entry.

Origin and Story of 吃闭门羹

In ancient Xuancheng, there was a courtesan named Shi Feng who was famously beautiful, charming, and skilled in singing and dancing. Many dissolute young masters and pleasure-seekers flocked to her establishment, often crowding it to its capacity.

Shi Feng would categorize her visitors by their status. For high-ranking guests, she would descend to greet them and personally offer them soup ( ). However, for those of lower status, she was unwilling to meet them. She would close her door, effectively making them 'eat closed-door soup,' which meant they were denied entry and coldly received.

Idioms Related to 吃闭门羹

More idioms starting with 吃

  • chī吃yī一qiàn堑,,zhǎng长yī一zhì智Learn from mistakes
  • chī吃bu不liǎo了dōu兜zhe着zǒu走face severe consequences
  • chī吃rén人bù不tǔ吐gǔ骨tóu头utterly ruthless and exploitative
  • chī吃lì力bù不tǎo讨hǎo好work hard with no thanks
  • chī吃chī吃hē喝hē喝socialize over food and drink
  • chī吃yǎ哑ba巴kuī亏suffer a silent loss
  • chī吃hē喝piáo嫖dǔ赌dissolute life of wine, women, and gambling
  • chī吃hē喝lā拉sā撒daily physiological needs
  • chī吃hē喝wán玩lè乐indulge in eating, drinking, playing, and enjoyment
  • chī吃sì四fāng方fàn饭adaptable and resourceful, make a living anywhere
  • chī吃dà大guō锅fàn饭egalitarian distribution regardless of contribution
  • chī吃xiǎo小kuī亏zhàn占dà大biàn便yí宜suffer small loss, gain big advantage

Questions about 吃闭门羹

What does 吃闭门羹 mean?
吃闭门羹 (chī bì mén gēng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be denied entry or given a cold reception when visiting someone”.
How do you pronounce 吃闭门羹?
吃闭门羹 is pronounced chī bì mén gēng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 吃闭门羹 literally mean?
Literally, 吃闭门羹 means “Eat closed-door soup”. It is used to mean “to be denied entry or given a cold reception when visiting someone”.
Where does 吃闭门羹 come from?
吃闭门羹 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 吃闭门羹?
羹:流汁食品。比喻串门时,主人不在家,被拒绝进门或受其他冷遇
Copy the pinyin for 吃闭门羹 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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