掉书袋

掉書袋

diàoshūdài

idiom

Meanings

1 to wave around one's bookbag
2 to show off one's erudition by quoting the classics
3 pedantic name-dropping

Characters

Examples

他一开口就掉书袋，没人听得进去。

Tā yī kāikǒu jiù diàoshūdài, méi rén tīng de jìnqù.

The moment he opens his mouth he starts quoting classics — nobody can stay tuned in.

写文章要接地气，别老掉书袋。

Xiě wénzhāng yào jiē dìqì, bié lǎo diàoshūdài.

Keep your writing grounded — stop flaunting your reading list.

这位教授讲课生动，从不掉书袋。

Zhè wèi jiàoshòu jiǎngkè shēngdòng, cóng bù diàoshūdài.

This professor teaches with life — he never just trots out quotations.

Tips

history

Originally mocking Southern Tang scholar 彭利用, who answered every question by tossing in obscure classical quotes. Recorded in 《南唐书·彭利用传》: '对家人稚子，下逮奴隶，言必据书史，断章破句，以代常谈，俗谓之掉书袋.'

register

Always pejorative. Calling someone 掉书袋 means they're boring the room with their learning.

Stroke Order

掉 diào

书 shū

袋 dài