每天成语
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生吞活剥

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: shēng tūn huó bō
  • English Translation: To swallow whole (mechanical imitation)
  • Idiom Composition: 「生」（Raw; uncooked）＋「吞」（To swallow; to gulp down）＋「活」（Alive; living）＋「剥」（To skin; to peel off）
  • Meaning: Literally meaning to skin an animal alive and swallow it raw. Figuratively, it refers to the act of mechanically copying or applying others' words, theories, or experiences without truly understanding or digesting them.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「生吞活剥」 contains the following nuances:

  • Indigestible Imitation: This idiom is used to criticize a state of 'intellectual indigestion' where one adopts the form of something without understanding its essence or context.
  • A Violent Metaphor: The intense image of 'skinning alive' implies a lack of respect or sensitivity toward art and scholarship, suggesting a clumsy and forceful handling of others' work.

3. Usage

「生吞活剥」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Learning and Academics: Used to criticize a rigid attitude where one applies textbook knowledge or theories without considering the actual situation or context.
    • Example:「学习外国经验不能生吞活剥，必须结合本国的实际情况。」
      （When learning from foreign experiences, we must not swallow them whole; we must integrate them with our own country's actual conditions.)
  • Creative Writing and Quoting: Refers to the unnatural 'patchwork' of others' writings or styles without making them one's own or understanding their essence.
    • Example:「这篇论文只是把几个名人的观点生吞活剥地拼凑在一起，缺乏独创性。」
      （This thesis merely mechanically patches together the viewpoints of several famous people and lacks originality.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 我们不能生吞活剥地套用书本上的公式来解决复杂的社会问题。
    （We cannot blindly apply formulas from books to solve complex social problems.）
  2. 他对这种理论只是生吞活剥，根本没有真正理解其中的深意。
    （He has only scratched the surface of this theory and does not truly understand its deep meaning.）
  3. 这种生吞活剥的翻译方式，让读者完全读不懂原文的美感。
    （This crude and literal translation style prevents readers from appreciating the beauty of the original text.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: This idiom is derived from an anecdote in the Book of Records of the Court and the Commonalty (朝野佥载) by Zhang Zhuo (张鷟) of the Tang Dynasty (唐朝). It tells of a monk who plagiarized and clumsily altered existing poems, leading others to mock him by saying he 'swallowed them raw and skinned them alive.'
  • Modern Context: In modern usage, it remains a sharp criticism for 'copy-pasting' or rigid adherence to manuals without flexibility or creativity.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 生吞活剥 (shēng tūn huó bō) is a critical expression used to describe a lack of creativity or the rigid application of knowledge. It evokes a visceral image of swallowing prey raw, suggesting a crude and unrefined way of learning or creating. It is commonly used in contexts such as academic study, translation, or the blind application of foreign theories.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

shēng tūn huó bō
生吞活剥
Blind Imitation
tīng dào听到“shēng tūn huó bō生吞活剥”zhè ge这个cí词，nǐ你de的dì yī第一fǎn yìng反应shì是shén me什么？

What is your first reaction when you hear the phrase 生吞活剥?

shì bú shì是不是jué de觉得huà miàn画面gǎn感yǒu diǎn有点tài太qiáng强le了，shèn zhì甚至yǒu diǎn有点xià rén吓人？

Does it feel like the imagery is a bit too intense, or even a little scary?

tā它de的zì miàn字面yì si意思què shí确实hěn很měng liè猛烈：“shēng tūn生吞”，shì是bǎ把dōng xī东西shēng shēng生生tūn吞xià qù下去；“huó bō活剥”，shì是huó shēng shēng活生生dì地bō剥qù pí去皮。

Its literal meaning is indeed quite violent: 生吞 means to swallow something raw, and 活剥 means to skin something alive.

dàn但zài在xiàn dài现代zhōng wén中文lǐ里，wǒ men我们jī hū几乎bù yòng不用tā它lái来xíng róng形容chī吃dōng xī东西。

However, in modern Chinese, we almost never use it to describe eating.

xiāng fǎn相反，wǒ men我们yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容yī zhǒng一种——jí qí极其cū cāo粗糙de的xué xí学习fāng shì方式。

Instead, we use it to describe an extremely crude way of learning.

xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下zhè yàng这样de的chǎng jǐng场景：nǐ你zài在yī běn一本shū书lǐ里kàn dào看到le了yī jù一句hěn很shēn ào深奥de的míng yán名言，huò zhě或者kàn dào看到bié rén别人yòng用le了yī zhǒng一种hěn很lì hài厉害de的zuò shì做事fāng fǎ方法。

Imagine this scenario: you see a profound quote in a book, or you see someone using a very impressive method of doing things.

nǐ你jué de觉得tā它hěn很hǎo好，yú shì于是hái还méi没lái de jí来得及nòng dǒng弄懂tā它bèi hòu背后de的luó jí逻辑，shèn zhì甚至hái还méi没gǎo qīng chǔ搞清楚tā它shì yòng适用de的huán jìng环境，jiù就zhí jiē直接bǎ把tā它ná拿guò lái过来yòng用le了。

You think it is great, so before you have time to understand the logic behind it or even the context in which it applies, you just take it and use it directly.

jié guǒ结果wǎng wǎng往往huì会yǒu xiē有些gān gà尴尬。

The result is often a bit awkward.

jiù就xiàng像bǎ把bié rén别人de的yī jiàn一件huá lì华丽yī fú衣服yìng硬tào套zài在zì jǐ自己shēn shàng身上，chǐ cùn尺寸què却bìng并bù不hé shēn合身；huò zhě或者xiàng像shì是zài在yī duàn一段yuán běn原本hěn很zì rán自然de的duì huà对话lǐ里，tū rán突然chā rù插入le了yí gè一个shēng yìng生硬de的dà大cí词，xiǎn de显得gé gé bù rù格格不入。

It is like forcing someone else's gorgeous clothes onto yourself when the size does not fit, or suddenly inserting a stiff, big word into a natural conversation, making it feel out of place.

zhè这jiù shì就是“shēng tūn huó bō生吞活剥”。

This is 生吞活剥.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语fēi cháng非常jīng zhǔn精准dì地zhǐ chū指出le了wèn tí问题de的guān jiàn关键：tā它de的hé xīn核心bù不zài yú在于“mó fǎng模仿”，ér而zài yú在于“méi yǒu没有xiāo huà消化”。

This idiom accurately points out the key to the problem: its core is not about imitation, but about a lack of digestion.

zhī shí知识、jīng yàn经验、huò zhě或者bié rén别人de的zhì huì智慧，qí shí其实hé和shí wù食物yī yàng一样。

Knowledge, experience, or the wisdom of others is actually just like food.

zhǐ yǒu只有jīng guò经过jǔ jué咀嚼、lǐ jiě理解、xiāo huà消化，tā它cái néng才能biàn chéng变成nǐ你shēn tǐ身体de的yī bù fèn一部分，biàn chéng变成nǐ你de的yíng yǎng营养。

Only after chewing, understanding, and digesting can it become a part of your body and turn into your nutrition.

rú guǒ如果zhǐ shì只是“shēng tūn生吞”xià qù下去，nà ge那个dōng xī东西yī rán依然shì是bié rén别人de的，shì是shēng生de的，shèn zhì甚至shì是jiāng yìng僵硬de的。

If you just 生吞 it, that thing still belongs to someone else; it is raw and even rigid.

suǒ yǐ所以，suī rán虽然zhè这shì是yí gè一个dài yǒu带有pī píng批评sè cǎi色彩de的chéng yǔ成语，dàn但tā它qí shí其实yě也shì是yí gè一个hěn很hǎo好de的tí xǐng提醒。

So, although this is an idiom with a critical tone, it is actually a very good reminder.

tā它gào sù告诉wǒ men我们，zhēn zhèng真正de的lǐ jiě理解，shì是xū yào需要shí jiān时间de的。

It tells us that true understanding takes time.

xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你xiǎng yào想要xué xí学习yí gè一个xīn新de的guān diǎn观点huò或jì qiǎo技巧shí时，bù fáng不妨gěi给zì jǐ自己yì diǎn一点nài xīn耐心。

Next time you want to learn a new perspective or skill, you might as well give yourself a little patience.

bú yào不要jí zhe急着zhǎn shì展示，xiān先shì zhe试着qù去lǐ jiě理解tā它de的běn zhì本质。

Do not rush to show it off; try to understand its essence first.

màn慢yì diǎn一点，bǎ把tā它zhǔ shú煮熟、jué suì嚼碎，ràng让tā它zhēn zhèng真正shǔ yú属于nǐ你，ér而bú shì不是tíng liú停留zài在“shēng tūn huó bō生吞活剥”de的biǎo miàn表面。

Slow down, cook it thoroughly, chew it well, and let it truly belong to you, rather than staying on the surface of 生吞活剥.

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