丁公凿井 — “Ding Gong digs a well”
丁公凿井 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Information becomes distorted or misinterpreted as it is passed from person to person; a case of a story being twisted through word-of-mouth”. Literally, “Ding Gong digs a well”.
丁公凿井 Pronunciation and Pinyin
丁公凿井 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 丁公凿井
Origin and Story of 丁公凿井
During the Spring and Autumn period, there was a man named Ding in the State of Song. He dug a well in his own courtyard.
Because he personally participated in the digging and adopted a new method, he saved one laborer. Afterwards, he told others, 'I dug a well and obtained one person's labor.'
However, others did not understand his true meaning. As the story was passed from person to person, it became distorted, and everyone eventually believed that he had actually dug a person out of the well.
Idioms Related to 丁公凿井
Synonyms of 丁公凿井
More idioms starting with 丁
- dīng丁yī一mǎo卯èr二perfectly aligned and secure
- dīng丁yī一què确èr二absolutely certain and definite
- dīng丁níng宁gào告jiè戒repeatedly and earnestly admonish
- dīng丁níng宁zhōu周zhì至give meticulous and thorough instructions
- dīng丁shì是dīng丁，，mǎo卯shì是mǎo卯meticulous and unambiguous
- dīng丁zhēn真kǎi楷cǎo草superb clerical and cursive calligraphy
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Open the tool →Questions about 丁公凿井
What does 丁公凿井 mean?
丁公凿井 (dīng gōng záo jǐng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Information becomes distorted or misinterpreted as it is passed from person to person; a case of a story being twisted through word-of-mouth”.
How do you pronounce 丁公凿井?
丁公凿井 is pronounced dīng gōng záo jǐng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 丁公凿井 literally mean?
Literally, 丁公凿井 means “Ding Gong digs a well”. It is used to mean “Information becomes distorted or misinterpreted as it is passed from person to person; a case of a story being twisted through word-of-mouth”.
Where does 丁公凿井 come from?
丁公凿井 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 丁公凿井?
比喻传来传去而失真。