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碰钉子 (pèng dīng zi) — (phrase) to be rebuffed; to meet with a refusal

Definition

碰钉子 literally 'bump into a nail' — a colloquial idiom meaning to be rejected or told no, often in a blunt or embarrassing way. Often paired with 软 (软钉子 = a polite refusal).

phrase
to be rebuffedto meet with a refusal

Examples

  • ，碰钉子。
    Tā qù zhǎo lǐng dǎo shěn pī fāng àn, jié guǒ pèng dīng zi le.
    He went to the leader for approval of the plan, but ended up being rebuffed.
  • ，。
    Xiǎo wáng xiǎng jiā rù nà ge shè tuán, méi xiǎng dào pèng le yí gè ruǎn dīng zi.
    Xiao Wang wanted to join that club, but unexpectedly received a polite refusal.
  • 碰钉子，。
    Měi cì xiàng tā biǎo bái dōu pèng dīng zi, wǒ jué dìng fàng qì le.
    Every time I confess to her, I'm rebuffed; I've decided to give up.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

碰pènghit
钉子nail
钉dīngnail子zǐsuffix
后缀Suffix

碰 means to hit and 钉子 is a nail, so hitting a nail suggests being rebuffed.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shírock
Sound part声符shēngfú
並
並bìng碰pèng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碰 is built from 石 (rock) and 並 (bìng); 石 shows the meaning, and 並 shows the sound.

Open 碰 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 釘; 钉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng釘dīng
Same sound today

The traditional 釘 pairs 金 (metal) with 丁 for sound; some theorize 丁 originally meant “nail,” so 釘 was created to write that word with metal added. The simplified 钉 is a shorthand.

Open 钉 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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