说三道四

說三道四

shuōsāndàosì

idiom #16,081

Meanings

1 to make thoughtless remarks; to gossip
2 to criticize; to nitpick

Characters

to say; to speak

to say; to talk about

Examples

别在背后说三道四。

Bié zài bèihòu shuōsāndàosì.

Don't gossip behind people's backs.

他总是对别人的事说三道四。

Tā zǒngshì duì biérén de shì shuōsāndàosì.

He always makes thoughtless remarks about other people's business.

Tips

memory

说三道四 literally means 'say three, say four' — talking about this and that, implying idle gossip. Similar structure to 乱七八糟 (messy sevens and eights = total mess).

Stroke Order

说 shuō

三 sān

道 dào

四 sì