鲜花插在牛粪上 xiān huā chā zài niú fèn shàng

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. a bunch of flowers poked into a pile of manure
  2. fig. a terrible shame (as when a lovely woman marries an odious man)

CHARACTERS

鲜 xiān
HSK 3
fresh; delicious; attractive
花 huā
HSK 3
flower; blossoms
插 chā
HSK 5
insert, stick into; plant
在 zài
HSK 1
be at, in, on; consist in, rest
牛 niú
HSK 2
cow, ox, bull; KangXi radical93
粪 fèn manure, dung, shit, excrement, night soil
上 shàng
HSK 1
top; superior, highest; go up, send up