牵强附会 far-fetched
Explanation
把没有联系的事物硬拉在一起解释,或把不相关的事物牵扯在一起,混为一谈。
To force a connection between unrelated things in an explanation, or to intertwine unrelated things, confusing them as one.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期,有个秀才名叫王甫,他非常渴望能金榜题名,光宗耀祖。一次,他去参加科举考试,考题是《论语》中的一段话。王甫绞尽脑汁,却怎么也想不出合适的解释。时间一分一秒地过去,王甫急得抓耳挠腮。突然,他灵机一动,想起了一个民间故事。这个故事与《论语》中的那段话根本没有关系,但他却强行将两者联系起来,并写了一篇解释得天衣无缝的文章。主考官看后,不禁摇头叹息,说道:"这篇文章牵强附会,毫无道理,简直就是胡说八道!"
It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Wang Fu who yearned to pass the imperial examination and bring honor to his ancestors. Once, he went to take the imperial examination, and the exam question was a passage from the Analects. Wang Fu racked his brains, but he couldn't think of a suitable interpretation. Time passed by, and Wang Fu was anxious. Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration, recalling a folk story. This story was completely unrelated to the passage from the Analects, but he forcibly connected the two and wrote an essay that seemed to fit perfectly. After reading it, the chief examiner shook his head and sighed: "This essay is far-fetched and nonsensical. It's simply nonsense!"
Usage
用于批评或嘲笑那些强词夺理,把不相干的事情硬扯在一起的人。
Used to criticize or ridicule those who argue unfairly and forcibly connect unrelated things.
Examples
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他的解释牵强附会,令人难以信服。
tā de jiěshì qiānqiáng fùhuì, lìng rén nán yǐ xìnfú
His explanation is far-fetched and unconvincing.
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不要牵强附会,把不相干的事情联系在一起。
bùyào qiānqiáng fùhuì, bǎ bù xiānggān de shìqíng liánxì zài yīqǐ
Don't force a connection between unrelated things; it's absurd!