痴人说梦
痴人说梦 (chī rén shuō mèng) literally means “fool speaks of dreams” and expresses “nonsensical talk”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: chi ren shuo meng, chi ren shuo meng,痴人说梦 meaning, 痴人说梦 in english
Nonsensical talk
Pronunciation: chī rén shuō mèng Literal meaning: Fool speaks of dreams
Origin & Usage
A Song collection tells of the monk Sengqie, asked what his surname was and where he came from, who answered 何 to both — a pun, since 何 means 'what'. A later writer took the answers at face value and recorded on the monument that his surname was He and he came from the country of He. The compiler's comment is the idiom: this is what comes of explaining (说) a dream (梦) to a fool (痴人). The original blames the listener, and Chinese now uses it of the speaker, for talk with no contact with reality.
Examples
English: "His grand plans for success are just a fool's dream."
Chinese: 他对成功的宏伟计划不过是痴人说梦。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
黄粱一梦
huáng liáng yī mèng
Ephemeral dreams
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如醉如梦
rú zuì rú mèng
Entranced in dreamlike state
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弄假成真
nòng jiǎ chéng zhēn
Reality from pretense
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普天同庆
pǔ tiān tóng qìng
Shared celebration
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穷途末路
qióng tú mò lù
No options left
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天花乱坠
tiān huā luàn zhuì
Exaggerated speech
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一丝不挂
yī sī bù guà
Stark naked; wholly unattached
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白驹过隙
bái jū guò xì
Time flies swiftly
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 痴人说梦 mean in English?
痴人说梦 (chī rén shuō mèng) literally translates to “Fool speaks of dreams” and is used to express “Nonsensical talk”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 痴人说梦 used?
Situation: His grand plans for success are just a fool's dream.
What is the pinyin for 痴人说梦?
The pinyin pronunciation for 痴人说梦 is “chī rén shuō mèng”.