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开锣喝道

開鑼喝道
kāiluóhèdào
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

他出场总是开锣喝道，唯恐别人不知道。
Tā chūchǎng zǒngshì kāiluóhèdào, wéikǒng biérén bù zhīdào.
He always makes a grand fanfare on arrival, afraid others won't notice him.
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 kāiluóhèdào 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》 (Guānchǎng Xiànxíng Jì, '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 (dàzhāngqígǔ, '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