小辫子

小辮子

xiǎobiànzi

noun #22,027

Measure Word

一条小辫子 tiáo

Meanings

1 small braid / pigtail
2 a flaw or fault that can be used against someone
3 leverage / dirt on someone

Characters

diminutive suffix

Examples

HSK 5

你做事要小心，别让别人抓到小辫子。

Nǐ zuòshì yào xiǎoxīn, bié ràng biérén zhuādào xiǎobiànzi.

Be careful in what you do - don't let others catch you making a mistake they can use against you.

HSK 7-9

她梳着两条小辫子，看起来很可爱。

Tā shū zhe liǎng tiáo xiǎobiànzi, kànqǐlái hěn kě'ài.

She wore two little braids and looked very cute.

Tips

culture

The expression 抓小辫子 ('to grab someone's little braid') dates from when Qing dynasty men wore the characteristic queue hairstyle. Grabbing someone's braid meant catching them - metaphorically catching them in a fault or wrongdoing.

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo

辫 biàn

子 zǐ