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惹是生非 (rě shì shēng fēi) — to stir up trouble, to provoke a dispute

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning to deliberately provoke disputes or stir up trouble. Carries a strong negative judgment — the person is seen as causing problems on purpose, not by accident.

idiom
to stir up troubleto provoke a dispute

Examples

  • 惹是生非，。
    Tā zǒng ài rě shì shēng fēi, dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huan tā.
    He always likes to stir up trouble; nobody likes him.
  • 惹是生非，。
    Nǐ shǎo zài wài miàn rě shì shēng fēi, huí jiā hǎo hǎo gōng zuò.
    Stop causing trouble outside and come home to work properly.
  • 惹是生非，。
    Zhè zhǒng rě shì shēng fēi de huà, qiān wàn bié dào chù shuō.
    Don't go around saying things that stir up trouble.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 惹 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 是 →

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 shape of 非 is drawn from two wings facing opposite directions. It later came to be used for going against or not being.

Open 非 →
Appears in
Conflict & AgreementIdioms & Set Phrases

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