小道消息 (xiǎo dào xiāo xī) — rumor, hearsay; gossip; information from informal sources

Definition

A chengyu-style noun for unverified rumors or gossip spread through informal channels — 'the grapevine.' Implies the information is unofficial and possibly unreliable.

noun
rumorhearsaygossipinformation from informal sources

Examples

  • 小道消息，。
    Bié xiāng xìn nà xiē xiǎo dào xiāo xī, dōu shì jiǎ de.
    Don't believe those rumors; they're all false.
  • 小道消息，。
    Gōng sī zuì jìn yǒu bù shǎo xiǎo dào xiāo xī, dàn méi rén zhī dào zhēn jiǎ.
    There has been a lot of gossip at the company lately, but nobody knows what's true.
  • 小道消息？
    Zhè xiē xiǎo dào xiāo xī shì cóng nǎ lǐ chuán chū lái de?
    Where did these rumors come from?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

小道unofficial route
小xiǎosmall道dàopath
偏正Modifier + head
消息news
消xiāodisappear息xīincrease
联合Side by side

“小道” suggests small paths or informal channels, and “消息” means news, so the sense is news passed along unofficial routes.

Characters in this word

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

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
肖
肖xiào消xiāo
Same sound today

消 has 氵 (water) beside 肖. The water part connects to putting out or making something vanish, and 肖 gives the sound.

Open 消 →

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

In 息, 自 is nose and 心 is heart, showing breath or life passing through one's nose.

Open 息 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechMedia & News

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