说曹操曹操就到

說曹操曹操就到

shuōCáoCāoCáoCāojiùdào

phrase

Meanings

1 speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives
2 speak of the devil

Characters

Cao's given name

Cao's given name

then / right away

Examples

说曹操曹操就到,他刚进门。

Shuō Cáo Cāo Cáo Cāo jiù dào, tā gāng jìn mén.

Speak of the devil — he just walked in.

我们正聊到她,真是说曹操曹操就到。

Wǒmen zhèng liáo dào tā, zhēn shì shuō Cáo Cāo Cáo Cāo jiù dào.

We were just talking about her — speak of the devil!

Tips

history

Cao Cao (155-220 CE) was the cunning warlord of the Three Kingdoms era. The saying comes from 《三国演义》 (Romance of the Three Kingdoms), where messengers urging Emperor Xian to summon Cao Cao for protection find that Cao Cao's army has already arrived — proverbial for someone showing up the instant they're mentioned.

usage

Often shortened to just 说曹操曹操到. Same playful 'speak of the devil' moment as in English, but with no negative connotation about the person — Cao Cao's reputation does the work.

In Pop Culture

三国演义 Sānguó Yǎnyì

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Ming-dynasty historical novel by Luo Guanzhong; Cao Cao is one of its three central warlords.

Stroke Order

说 shuō

曹 Cáo

操 cāo

就 jiù

到 dào