如意算盘

如意算盤
rúyì-suànpán
idiom #30,222

Meanings

  1. 1 wishful thinking
  2. 2 a rosy calculation
  3. 3 counting one's chickens before they hatch

Examples

HSK 3
Bié zǒng dǎ rúyì-suànpán, xiànshí méi nàme jiǎndān.
Stop indulging in wishful thinking - reality isn't that simple.
HSK 4
Tā dǎ de rúyì-suànpán luòkōng le.
His rosy calculations came to nothing.
HSK 4
Zhè zhǐshì tā de rúyì-suànpán, wèibì néng shíxiàn.
This is just his pipe dream - it may not come true.

Tips

history
From 宝嘉官场现形记》 (late Qing satirical novel): 便宜如意算盘! ('How convenient - you sure know how to cook up a wishful calculation!'). The word 算盘 ('abacus') is the literal tool; 如意 ('as one wishes') makes it a calculation rigged in your own favor.
grammar
The verb (to beat/strike) is required: 如意算盘, never 如意算盘 or 如意算盘. 'Beating the abacus' is the set collocation for doing calculations.

Stroke Order

suàn
pán