丢三落四

diū sān là sì

  • Meaning

    Literal

    "Lose three drop four"

    Usage

    Describes carelessness or forgetfulness

  • Connotation

    Negative

  • Usage Examples

    同学们一定要改掉丢三落四的坏习惯 | Tóngxuémen yīdìng yào gǎi diào diūsānlàsì de huài xíguàn
    Students absolutely must get rid of their careless habits
    [Source]

    因上了年纪他变得丢三落四的 | Yīn shàngle niánjì tā biàn dé diūsānlàsì de
    Because he grew older, he started becoming forgetful
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    None

    Chinese

    丢三拉四 (diū sān lā sì)

  • Entry Notes

    This is an HSK chengyu

  • Origin

    《红楼梦》(Hóng Lóu Mèng) by Qīng (清, 1644-1911) author 曹雪芹 (Cáo Xuěqín). Often translated in English as "A Dream of Red Mansions," 红楼梦 is one of China's four great classical novels

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]