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?
Appears in
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