<p>From</p>

<p><a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/20887/%e6%88%90%e8%af%ad-versus-%e4%bf%97%e8%af%ad-versus-%e8%b0%9a%e8%af%ad-what-is-the-difference/20891#20891">成语 versus 俗语 versus 谚语, what is the difference?</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>成語 (idiom) include "situation description" , "common sense", and "words of wisdom". Mostly came from <strong>known historical references</strong>, like poems, classical literature or famous quotes by historic figures . </p>
</blockquote>

<p>4-character expressions are common phrases from unknown origin, just happen to have four characters, they are "idiomatic expressions" but they are not true idioms.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-08T06:18:20.680Z
2018-04-08T09:43:15.603Z
2018-04-08T09:43:15.603Z
Tang Ho
<p>I read the first two pages of 狐狸的窗户 (Húlí de chuānghù) = <em>The Fox's Window</em> (<a href="https://book.douban.com/subject/4049269/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">douban.com</a>) on my Kindle, and encountered several 4-character phrases:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E5%BC%82%E5%8F%A3%E5%90%8C%E5%A3%B0/#keyfrom=dict2.top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">异口同声</a> (yì kǒu tóng shēng) = all with one voice (<a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BC%82%E5%8F%A3%E5%90%8C%E5%A3%B0/4445904" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baidu Baike</a>; <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/28021.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chinese Tools</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E7%B2%BE%E7%A5%9E%E6%81%8D%E6%83%9A/#keyfrom=dict2.top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">精神恍惚</a> (jīng shén huǎng hū) = absent-minded (<a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%B2%BE%E7%A5%9E%E6%81%8D%E6%83%9A" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baidu Baike</a>; <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/12653.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chinese Tools</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E8%83%A1%E6%80%9D%E4%B9%B1%E6%83%B3/#keyfrom=dict2.top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">胡思乱想</a> (hú sī luàn xiǎng) = go off into wild flights of fancy (<a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%83%A1%E6%80%9D%E4%B9%B1%E6%83%B3/84985" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baidu Baike</a>; <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/9940.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chinese Tools</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E4%BA%AE%E5%BE%97%E5%88%BA%E7%9C%BC/#keyfrom=dict2.top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">亮得刺眼</a> (liàng dé cìyǎn) = shine glaringly</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/eng/%E4%B8%80%E7%89%87%E4%B8%80%E7%9C%BC/#keyfrom=dict2.index" rel="nofollow noreferrer">一片一眼</a> (yīpiàn yīyǎn) = a glance at</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E6%9C%9B%E8%80%8C%E7%94%9F%E7%95%8F/#keyfrom=dict2.top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">望而生畏</a> (wàng ér shēng wèi) = be terrified by the sight of sth. or sb. (<a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%9C%9B%E8%80%8C%E7%94%9F%E7%95%8F" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baidu Baike</a>; <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/24203.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chinese Tools</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E5%BF%83%E6%97%B7%E7%A5%9E%E6%80%A1/#keyfrom=dict2.top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">心旷神怡</a> (xīn kuàng shén yí) = relaxed and happy (<a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BF%83%E6%97%B7%E7%A5%9E%E6%80%A1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baidu Baike</a>; <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/26210.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chinese Tools</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E6%93%A6%E5%8E%BB%E6%B1%97%E6%B0%B4/#keyfrom=dict2.top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">擦去汗水</a> (cā qù hànshuǐ) = wipe the sweat</li>
</ul>

<p>Some of these should be considered <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengyu" rel="nofollow noreferrer">chengyu</a> (成语, chéngyǔ), but others look like they just happen to have four characters.  I'm wondering if there's a way of deciding which are chengyu and which are not.</p>

<p><strong>Question</strong>: What's distinguishes a chengyu (Chinese idiom) from a 4-character expression?</p>

<p>It's possible this question is related to <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/27315/8099">Are there any chengyu or xiehouyu that only mean their literal meaning?</a>  Maybe if it has a figurative meaning, then it's a chengyu, and otherwise not.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-08T03:10:30.327Z
Many times even Chinese people can hardly distinguish it.
chin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-08T03:18:54.467Z
Hoping This Helps... [成语和四字词语的区别](http://cy.5156edu.com/page/z8577m8279j20015.html)
chin
<chengyu>
What's distinguishes a chengyu (Chinese idiom) from a 4-character expression?
# What's distinguishes a chengyu (Chinese idiom) from a 4-character expression?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-08)

I read the first two pages of 狐狸的窗户 (Húlí de chuānghù) = *The Fox's Window* ([douban.com](https://book.douban.com/subject/4049269/)) on my Kindle, and encountered several 4-character phrases:

* [异口同声](http://youdao.com/w/%E5%BC%82%E5%8F%A3%E5%90%8C%E5%A3%B0/#keyfrom=dict2.top) (yì kǒu tóng shēng) = all with one voice ([Baidu Baike](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BC%82%E5%8F%A3%E5%90%8C%E5%A3%B0/4445904); [Chinese Tools](http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/28021.html))
* [精神恍惚](http://youdao.com/w/%E7%B2%BE%E7%A5%9E%E6%81%8D%E6%83%9A/#keyfrom=dict2.top) (jīng shén huǎng hū) = absent-minded ([Baidu Baike](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%B2%BE%E7%A5%9E%E6%81%8D%E6%83%9A); [Chinese Tools](http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/12653.html))
* [胡思乱想](http://youdao.com/w/%E8%83%A1%E6%80%9D%E4%B9%B1%E6%83%B3/#keyfrom=dict2.top) (hú sī luàn xiǎng) = go off into wild flights of fancy ([Baidu Baike](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%83%A1%E6%80%9D%E4%B9%B1%E6%83%B3/84985); [Chinese Tools](http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/9940.html))
* [亮得刺眼](http://youdao.com/w/%E4%BA%AE%E5%BE%97%E5%88%BA%E7%9C%BC/#keyfrom=dict2.top) (liàng dé cìyǎn) = shine glaringly
* [一片一眼](http://youdao.com/w/eng/%E4%B8%80%E7%89%87%E4%B8%80%E7%9C%BC/#keyfrom=dict2.index) (yīpiàn yīyǎn) = a glance at
* [望而生畏](http://youdao.com/w/%E6%9C%9B%E8%80%8C%E7%94%9F%E7%95%8F/#keyfrom=dict2.top) (wàng ér shēng wèi) = be terrified by the sight of sth. or sb. ([Baidu Baike](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%9C%9B%E8%80%8C%E7%94%9F%E7%95%8F); [Chinese Tools](http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/24203.html))
* [心旷神怡](http://youdao.com/w/%E5%BF%83%E6%97%B7%E7%A5%9E%E6%80%A1/#keyfrom=dict2.top) (xīn kuàng shén yí) = relaxed and happy ([Baidu Baike](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BF%83%E6%97%B7%E7%A5%9E%E6%80%A1); [Chinese Tools](http://www.chinese-tools.com/chinese/chengyu/dictionary/detail/26210.html))
* [擦去汗水](http://youdao.com/w/%E6%93%A6%E5%8E%BB%E6%B1%97%E6%B0%B4/#keyfrom=dict2.top) (cā qù hànshuǐ) = wipe the sweat

Some of these should be considered [chengyu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengyu) (成语, chéngyǔ), but others look like they just happen to have four characters. I'm wondering if there's a way of deciding which are chengyu and which are not.

**Question**: What's distinguishes a chengyu (Chinese idiom) from a 4-character expression?

It's possible this question is related to [Are there any chengyu or xiehouyu that only mean their literal meaning?](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/27315/8099) Maybe if it has a figurative meaning, then it's a chengyu, and otherwise not.

**Tags:** chengyu

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Many times even Chinese people can hardly distinguish it.  
> **username_1**: Hoping This Helps... [成语和四字词语的区别](http://cy.5156edu.com/page/z8577m8279j20015.html)  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-04-08. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

From

[成语 versus 俗语 versus 谚语, what is the difference?](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/20887/%e6%88%90%e8%af%ad-versus-%e4%bf%97%e8%af%ad-versus-%e8%b0%9a%e8%af%ad-what-is-the-difference/20891#20891)

> 成語 (idiom) include "situation description" , "common sense", and "words of wisdom". Mostly came from **known historical references**, like poems, classical literature or famous quotes by historic figures .

4-character expressions are common phrases from unknown origin, just happen to have four characters, they are "idiomatic expressions" but they are not true idioms.


---

