打入冷宫 (dǎ rù lěng gōng) — to consign to limbo, to shelve indefinitely, to banish from attention

Definition

Idiomatic verb phrase meaning to consign something (a plan, idea, suggestion) to permanent neglect — 'shelve it and never look at it again'. Always passive in use; the agent is rarely named.

verb
to consign to limboto shelve indefinitelyto banish from attention

Examples

  • 打入冷宫，。
    Zhè ge jì huà bèi dǎ rù lěng gōng le, méi rén zài tí.
    This plan was shelved indefinitely; no one mentions it anymore.
  • 。
    Lǎo bǎn bǎ tā de jiàn yì dǎ rù le lěng gōng.
    The boss banished his suggestion to limbo.
  • 打入冷宫。
    Nà bù diàn yǐng shàng yìng hòu jiù bèi dǎ rù lěng gōng le.
    That movie was consigned to limbo after its release.

Origin

Characters in this word

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng打dǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.

Open 打 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

入 is drawn as an arrowhead, indicating 'to enter'.

Open 入 →

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
冫Written in full as仌bīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng冷lěng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

冷 uses 冫, the ice form, with 令 as a sound part, to mean cold as ice.

Open 冷 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 宮; 宫 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀mián
  • 呂呂lǚ

The traditional form 宮 is built from 宀 and 呂.

Open 宫 →

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