半生不熟 (bàn shēng bù shú) — 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 bù shú, 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 bù shú de liǎo jiě.
    His understanding of this skill is only superficial.
  • 半生不熟，。
    Wǒ hé tā zhǐ shì bàn shēng bù shú de guān xì, bú suàn shēn jiāo.
    He and I are just casual acquaintances, not close friends.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 八 (to divide) with 牛 (cow), showing a cow cut into two halves.

Open 半 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

熟 combines 孰 (cooked; ripe) with 灬 (fire), showing food cooked with fire.

Open 熟 →

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