说三道四 shuō sān dào sì gossip

Explanation

指无根据地议论是非。

Refers to groundless discussion of right and wrong.

Origin Story

小镇上来了个算命先生，他神神秘秘地摆着摊位，吸引了不少人围观。算命先生声称自己能预测未来，并能看出人的命运走向。 其中一个中年妇女走上前去，想让算命先生算一算她的命运。算命先生仔细端详了她的面相，然后故作神秘地说：『你啊，命途多舛，未来将会经历许多磨难，但最终会苦尽甘来。』 中年妇女听了，心里忐忑不安。她回到家后，就把算命先生的话告诉了她的丈夫。 丈夫却是一脸不屑，说：『这算命先生不过就是说些模棱两可的话，骗人的把戏罢了。你不要太当真。』 然而，邻里乡亲们听到这件事后，却开始说三道四，有的说中年妇女命不好，有的说算命先生很厉害，还有的干脆编造出各种各样的故事，添油加醋地传扬开来。 一时间，小镇上关于中年妇女和算命先生的流言蜚语满天飞，弄得中年妇女和她的丈夫都非常苦恼。最后，他们决定搬离小镇，去寻找一个清静安宁的地方生活。

xiǎo zhèn shàng lái le gè suàn mìng xiānsheng, tā shénmì shénmì de bǎi zhe tānwèi, xīyǐn le bù shǎo rén wéiguān。suàn mìng xiānsheng shēngchēng zìjǐ néng yùcè wèilái, bìng néng kàn chū rén de mìngyùn zǒuxiàng。qízhōng yīgè zhōngnián fùnǚ zǒu shàng qián qù, xiǎng ràng suàn mìng xiānsheng suàn yī suàn tā de mìngyùn。suàn mìng xiānsheng zǐxì duānxiáng le tā de miànxiàng, ránhòu gù zuò shénmì de shuō：『nǐ a, mìngtú duōchuǎn, wèilái jiāng huì jīnglì xǔduō mónǎn, dàn zuìzhōng huì kǔjìn gānlái。』zhōngnián fùnǚ tīng le, xīn lǐ tǎntè bù'ān。tā huí dào jiā hòu, jiù bǎ suàn mìng xiānsheng de huà gàosù le tā de zhàngfu。zhàngfu què shì yī liǎn bù xiè, shuō：『zhè suàn mìng xiānsheng bùguò jiùshì shuō xiē mólíng kě kě de huà, piàn rén de bǎxì bà le。nǐ bùyào tài dāng zhēn。』rán'ér, línlǐ xiāngqīn men tīng dào zhè jiàn shì hòu, què kāishǐ shuō sān dào sì, yǒu de shuō zhōngnián fùnǚ mìng bù hǎo, yǒu de shuō suàn mìng xiānsheng hěn lìhai, hái yǒu de gāncāi biān zào chū gè zhǒng gè yàng de gùshì, tiānyóujiācù de chuányáng kāilái。yīshíjiān, xiǎo zhèn shàng guānyú zhōngnián fùnǚ hé suàn mìng xiānsheng de liúyán fēiyǔ mǎntiānfēi, nòng de zhōngnián fùnǚ hé tā de zhàngfu dōu fēicháng kǔnǎo。zuìhòu, tāmen juédìng bān lí xiǎo zhèn, qù xúnzhǎo yīgè qīngjìng ānníng de dìfang shēnghuó。

A fortune teller came to a small town. He set up his stall mysteriously, attracting many onlookers. The fortune teller claimed that he could predict the future and see the trajectory of a person's destiny. A middle-aged woman approached him, hoping to have her fortune told. The fortune teller carefully studied her face and then mysteriously said, 'Your path will be full of hardships. You'll experience many difficulties in the future, but ultimately you'll overcome them and find happiness.' The middle-aged woman felt uneasy. After returning home, she told her husband what the fortune teller had said. However, her husband was dismissive, saying, 'This fortune teller only says vague things, just a deceptive trick. Don't take it too seriously.' However, after hearing about this, the neighbors started gossiping. Some said the middle-aged woman was unlucky, some said the fortune teller was very capable, and some even made up various stories, exaggerating the truth. For a time, rumors about the middle-aged woman and the fortune teller flew all over the town, causing great distress to the middle-aged woman and her husband. Finally, they decided to move away from the town to find a quiet and peaceful place to live.

Usage

形容随意议论或批评别人。

xióngshù suíyì yìlùn huò pīpíng biérén。

Describes the arbitrary discussion or criticism of others.

Examples

• 背后说三道四，让人很反感。

  bèihòu shuō sān dào sì, ràng rén hěn fǎngǎn.

  Gossiping behind people's backs is very unpleasant.

• 不要总是说三道四，做好自己的事情最重要。

  bú yào zǒngshì shuō sān dào sì, zuò hǎo zìjǐ de shìqíng zuì zhòngyào。

  Don't always gossip; it's most important to do your own thing well.

Related Idioms

• 说长道短

• 搬弄是非

Opposite Idioms

• 沉默

• 安静