轻描淡写

輕描淡寫
qīngmiáo-dànxiě
idiom #23,135

Meanings

  1. 1 to gloss over
  2. 2 to play down
  3. 3 to understate
  4. 4 to treat as trivial
  5. 5 to mention only in passing

Examples

HSK 3
Tā qīngmiáo-dànxiě de tídào le zhè jiàn shì.
She mentioned the matter only in passing.
HSK 4
Bùnéng duì zhème yánzhòng de wèntí qīngmiáo-dànxiě.
We cannot play down such a serious problem.
HSK 6
Tā duì zìjǐ de cuòwù qīngmiáo-dànxiě, gēnběn méiyǒu dàoqiàn.
He glossed over his mistakes and didn't apologize at all.

Tips

memory
Literally 'light strokes and pale writing' - imagine a painter touching canvas so lightly that nothing is really shown. The image captures the act of barely addressing something, making it seem lighter than it is.

Stroke Order

qīng
miáo
dàn
xiě