五音不全

wǔyīnbùquán

idiom

Meanings

1 tone deaf
2 unable to carry a tune

Characters

Examples

我五音不全，你们别让我唱。

Wǒ wǔyīnbùquán, nǐmen bié ràng wǒ chàng.

I'm tone deaf, don't make me sing.

他五音不全，但是特别敢唱。

Tā wǔyīnbùquán, dànshì tèbié gǎn chàng.

He's tone deaf, but super brave about singing.

五音不全的人不适合去KTV。

Wǔyīnbùquán de rén bú shìhé qù KTV.

Tone-deaf people aren't really cut out for KTV.

Tips

culture

五音 refers to the five notes of the traditional Chinese pentatonic scale (宫商角徵羽). 五音不全 literally 'the five tones are not complete' means someone can't hit the notes at all.

Stroke Order

五 wǔ

音 yīn

不 bù

全 quán