半生不熟 (bàn shēng bú) — undercooked, half-raw (food); half-learned, not yet fully understood (knowledge or skill); casual acquaintance, not close (relationship)
Definition
Literally 'half-raw, half-cooked', this idiom extends the food image to anything half-done or half-known — knowledge that's superficial, or a relationship that's not close.
idiom
undercookedhalf-raw (food)half-learnednot yet fully understood (knowledge or skill)casual acquaintancenot close (relationship)
Examples
- 半生不熟，。Zhè ròu hái bàn shēng bú, dé zài zhǔ yí huì r.This meat is still undercooked; it needs to cook a bit longer.
- 半生不熟。Tā duì zhè mén jì shù zhǐ shì yì diǎn bàn shēng bú de liǎo jiě.His understanding of this skill is only superficial.
- 半生不熟，。Wǒ hé tā zhǐ shì bàn shēng bú de guān xì, bú suàn shēn jiāo.He and I are just casual acquaintances, not close friends.
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