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街谈巷议
街谈巷议
街谈巷议
街谈巷议
街谈巷议
街谈巷议
街谈巷议
街谈巷议

街谈巷议 — “Street talk and alley discussions”

街谈巷议 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Public discussions and popular talk among people in the streets and alleys, referring to widespread public opinion or common gossip”. Literally, “street talk and alley discussions”.

Frequency

街谈巷议 Pronunciation and Pinyin

街谈巷议 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
街
jiē12street
谈
tán10talk, discuss, converse
巷
xiàng9alley or narrow street
议
yì5discuss, deliberate, propose

Example Sentence with 街谈巷议

关于新书店的开业时间,街谈巷议持续了好几天,大家都充满期待。
Regarding the opening time of the new bookstore, there was much public discussion for several days, and everyone was full of anticipation.

Origin and Story of 街谈巷议

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the ruling class lived in extreme luxury, seizing fertile land and private homes while exploiting the common people.

The scholar Zhang Heng wrote 'Xijing Fu' to subtly criticize these rulers. In his work, he recounted an earlier incident from the Western Han Dynasty: Gongsun He, then a prime minister, had a son who embezzled military funds.

To shield his son from punishment, Gongsun He controversially arrested the fugitive Zhu Anshi and forced him to take the blame. This incident caused widespread public discussion and sharp criticism among the ordinary people in the streets and alleys.

Idioms Related to 街谈巷议

Synonyms of 街谈巷议

  • jiāo交tóu头jiē接ěr耳whisper into each other's ears
  • zhòng众shuō说fēn纷yún纭many conflicting opinions

More idioms starting with 街

  • jiē街hào号xiàng巷kū哭wailing and crying in the streets
  • jiē街fang坊sì四lín邻neighbors and people nearby
  • jiē街fāng坊lín邻jū居neighbors and people in the community
  • jiē街fāng坊lín邻shè舍neighbors and local community
  • jiē街fang坊lín邻lǐ里neighbors and local residents
  • jiē街tóu头xiàng巷kǒu口everywhere in the streets and alleys
  • jiē街tóu头xiàng巷wěi尾all over town
  • jiē街tóu头xiàng巷dǐ底everywhere in the city
  • jiē街tóu头shì市wěi尾all over the city
  • jiē街xiàng巷qiān阡mò陌all the streets and alleys
  • jiē街liū溜zi子a sly street loafer
  • jiē街yán言xiàng巷yǔ语public opinion or common talk

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Questions about 街谈巷议

What does 街谈巷议 mean?

街谈巷议 (jiē tán xiàng yì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Public discussions and popular talk among people in the streets and alleys, referring to widespread public opinion or common gossip”.

How do you pronounce 街谈巷议?

街谈巷议 is pronounced jiē tán xiàng yì in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 街谈巷议 literally mean?

Literally, 街谈巷议 means “street talk and alley discussions”. It is used to mean “Public discussions and popular talk among people in the streets and alleys, referring to widespread public opinion or common gossip”.

Where does 街谈巷议 come from?

街谈巷议 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 街谈巷议?

大街小巷里人们的议论。指民间的舆论。

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