一个巴掌拍不响

一個巴掌拍不響

yīgebāzhǎngpāibùxiǎng

idiom

Meanings

1 one palm alone cannot clap
2 it takes two to tango
3 a dispute is never just one person's fault

Characters

(part of 巴掌) palm

Examples

吵架一个巴掌拍不响，你们都有错。

Chǎojià yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng, nǐmen dōu yǒu cuò.

It takes two to tango in an argument — you're both at fault.

一个巴掌拍不响，这件事两方都有责任。

Yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng, zhè jiàn shì liǎng fāng dōu yǒu zérèn.

One hand can't clap — both sides share the blame.

别只怪他，一个巴掌拍不响。

Bié zhǐ guài tā, yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng.

Don't blame only him — it takes two to tango.

Tips

history

From 《红楼梦》 chapter 58: Xiren says 一个巴掌拍不响, 老的也太不公些，小的也太可恶些 — faulting both the elder and the younger in a dispute.

register

Very colloquial, used constantly in everyday arguments and mediation. Can be annoying to hear if you actually are the wronged party — it's the Chinese 'both sides' cliche.

Stroke Order

一 yī

个 gè

巴 bā

掌 zhǎng

拍 pāi

不 bù

响 xiǎng