Definition
泼冷水 (pō lěng shuǐ) is a colloquial idiom meaning 'to pour cold water on' someone's enthusiasm by being negative or critical. Unlike 打击 (dǎ jī), which can mean a stronger 'deal a blow', and 挫折 (cuò zhé), which focuses on causing setbacks, 泼冷水 is specifically about dampening excitement with discouraging words.
phrase
to dampen someone's enthusiasmto discourage (by criticism or negativity)
Examples
- 泼冷水，。Bié zǒngshì gěi biérén de jìhuà pō lěng shuǐ, duō gǔlì yíxià.Don't always pour cold water on other people's plans; encourage them more.
- ，泼冷水。Tā měi cì dōu hěn rèqíng, dàn zǒng yǒu rén duì tā pō lěng shuǐ.He is always enthusiastic, but there's always someone pouring cold water on him.
- ，泼冷水。Wǒ zhīdào zhège xiǎngfǎ bù wánměi, dàn nǐ yě bié pō lěng shuǐ a.I know this idea isn't perfect, but don't pour cold water on it either.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.