不三不四 — “Improper”
不三不四 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “improper”. Disreputable; of questionable character or appearance; neither fish, flesh, nor fowl.
不三不四 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 不bù
- 三sān
- 不bù
- 四sì
不三不四 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 不三不四
Origin and Story of 不三不四
The idiom "不三不四" (bù sān bù sì) originates from a story about Lu Zhishen, a heroic outlaw from Mount Liang. After saving a singing father and daughter by beating the tyrannical local bully Zheng Guanxi to death, Lu Zhishen was forced to shave his head and become a monk. He was assigned to manage a vegetable garden at Daxiangguo Temple.
This garden was often harassed by a group of disreputable and unruly ruffians. These "不三不四" individuals constantly tried to intimidate Lu Zhishen and force him to leave.
One day, they conspired to ambush him. However, Lu Zhishen, with his immense strength, single-handedly defeated them, throwing them all into a cesspit where they begged for mercy.
The term "不三不四" thus came to describe people who are disreputable, improper, or of questionable character.
Idioms Related to 不三不四
Synonyms of 不三不四
Antonyms of 不三不四
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
- bù不wéi为yǐ已shèn甚not go too far
Questions about 不三不四
- What does 不三不四 mean?
- 不三不四 (bù sān bù sì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “improper”.
- How do you pronounce 不三不四?
- 不三不四 is pronounced bù sān bù sì in Mandarin Chinese.
- Where does 不三不四 come from?
- 不三不四 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 不三不四?
- 指不正派，也指不象样子。