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开锣喝道

開鑼喝道
kāiluó-hèdào
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 lit. to bang gongs and shout to clear the way (for a passing official)
  2. 2 to make a great noise announcing one's arrival
  3. 3 to trumpet someone's importance

Examples

HSK 7-9
他出场总是开锣喝道，唯恐别人不知道。
Tā chūchǎng zǒngshì kāiluó-hèdào, wéikǒng biérén bù zhīdào.
He always makes a grand fanfare on arrival, afraid others won't notice him.
HSK 7-9
这部新片还没上映，营销团队就先开锣喝道一番。
Zhè bù xīnpiàn hái méi shàngyìng, yíngxiāo tuánduì jiù xiān kāiluó-hèdào yì fān.
Before the film has even premiered, the marketing team is already trumpeting it loudly.

Tips

history
From 李宝嘉 's late-Qing satire 官场现形记 ('Exposé of Officialdom'), Chapter 2. Imperial-era officials traveled with attendants who banged gongs (锣) and shouted (喝) to clear commoners off the road - the higher the rank, the longer the gong sequence. Lu Xun reused the phrase mockingly in his 1935 essay 隐士.
usage
Almost always sarcastic today. Aimed at someone who self-promotes loudly or has flunkies hyping them up. Compare 大张旗鼓 (dàzhāng-qígǔ, 'unfurl banners and beat drums'), which can be neutral; 开锣喝道 carries more bite.

Stroke Order

开 kāi
锣 luó
喝 hē
道 dào