8 Chinese Idioms With the Number Five (五)

Anxious and unsettled

Literal: Seven up eight down

This numerical idiom uses seven (七) up (上) and eight (八) down (下) to describe a state of anxious confusion, originating from Song Dynasty vernacular expressions. The numbers themselves carry no specific meaning beyond creating rhythmic opposition to represent mental turmoil. The phrase gained promin...

Essentially the same despite appearances

Literal: Half catty eight taels

This idiom originated from Ming Dynasty marketplace terminology, first appearing in vernacular literature describing equivalent items differently packaged or presented. During the Qing Dynasty, it entered common usage for comparing people or things superficially different but substantively identical...

Complete disorganization and messiness

Literal: Chaotic seven eight messy

Ming Dynasty vernacular literature gave us this wonderfully expressive phrase for utter chaos involving numerous (七八) elements in complete disarray (糟). Unlike more scholarly idioms, it emerged from the everyday language of households and marketplaces. Qing Dynasty novels employed it to paint vivid ...

Habitually forgetful and disorganized

Literal: Lose three drop four

Ming Dynasty vernacular speech captured this pattern of losing three things (丢三) and dropping four (落四). The non-sequential numbers created a perfect image of random, unpredictable losses rather than systematic problems. Qing Dynasty officials adopted it to evaluate servant reliability. Today it des...

Extending in all directions; well-connected

Literal: Connected in four directions, reaching in eight

This idiom originated during the Warring States period and appears in 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记). It describes roads or passages that connect and extend in all directions - four (四) main directions and eight (八) secondary ones, covering all possible paths. Originally used to describe the ...

Everyone talking at once; lively discussion

Literal: Seven mouths eight tongues

This idiom uses the numbers seven (七) and eight (八), which in Chinese often suggest 'many' or 'various,' combined with mouths (嘴) and tongues (舌) to describe multiple people talking simultaneously. The phrase emerged during the Ming Dynasty in colloquial literature depicting lively scenes of debate ...

Talk complete nonsense without any foundation

Literal: Reckless speak eight ways

Ming Dynasty vernacular speech gave us this colorful description of reckless speaking (胡说) scattered in eight directions (八道). Qing Dynasty scholars used it to criticize statements completely disconnected from evidence or logic. The image of words scattered in all directions perfectly captured the c...

A bewildering variety; all kinds of

Literal: Five flowers and eight gates

This idiom has roots in ancient Chinese military strategy, where 'five flowers' (五花) referred to five tactical formations and 'eight gates' (八门) to eight strategic positions. The phrase originally described the complexity of battlefield tactics. Over time, it evolved to describe any diverse or varie...