馬尾穿豆腐，提不起來 mǎ wěi chuān dòu fu ， tí bu qǐ lai

lit. like tofu strung on horsetail, you can't lift it

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. like tofu strung on horsetail, you can't lift it
  2. 2. fig. let's not talk of this (pun on 提tí)

Characters

Character Meaning
馬 mǎ
horse; surname Ma
尾 wěi HSK 5
tail; remainder; remnant
穿 chuān HSK 2
to wear; to put on; to dress
豆 dòu HSK 5
bean; pea; variant of 豆dòu
腐 fu HSK 5
rotten; decay
提 tí HSK 3
to mention; to raise (an issue); to put forward
不 bu HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
起 qǐ HSK 1
to get up; to rise; to start
來 lai
to come; to arrive; next