捅娄子 (tǒng lóu zǐ) — (colloquial) to make a mess of something, to cause trouble, to blunder

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning to cause trouble or botch something badly (lit. 'poke a hole'). Used for mistakes that create a mess the speaker wants to fix.

verb
(colloquial) to make a mess of somethingto cause troubleto blunder

Examples

  • ，捅娄子。
    Tā zuò shì tài mǎ hu, jīng cháng tǒng lóu zǐ.
    He is too careless and often makes a mess of things.
  • ，。
    Nǐ zhè cì kě tǒng le gè dà lóu zi, gǎn jǐn xiǎng bàn fǎ bǔ jiù ba.
    You've really made a big mess this time — hurry up and find a way to fix it.
  • ，捅娄子。
    Bié ràng tā fù zé zhè ge xiàng mù, tā zhī huì tǒng lóu zǐ.
    Don't let him be in charge of this project — he'll only make a mess.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

捅tǒngpoke
娄子trouble
娄lóu子zǐ

捅 is poking or stirring, and 娄子 names the mess that results.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 捅 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 婁; 娄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
爪爪zhuǎhands
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
角
角jiǎo婁
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 婁 has 爪 (hands) and 女 (woman), with 角 used for the sound; its original meaning is uncertain. 娄 is a simplified form.

Open 娄 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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