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走后门 (zǒu hòu mén) — (figurative) to use connections; to get things done through personal influence; (literal) to enter through the back door

Definition

A chengyu-style verb phrase meaning to use personal connections or pull strings to get something done — only the figurative sense is idiomatic in modern Chinese.

verb
(figurative) to use connectionsto get things done through personal influence(literal) to enter through the back door

Examples

  • 走后门。
    Tā tōng guò zǒu hòu mén zhǎo dào le zhè fèn gōng zuò.
    He found this job by pulling strings.
  • ，走后门。
    Zài zhè ge dān wèi, bù zǒu hòu mén jiù bàn bù chéng shì.
    In this unit, without pulling strings you can't get things done.
  • 。
    Tā wèi le hái zi shàng xué zǒu le bù shǎo hòu mén.
    He pulled a lot of strings to get his child into school.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

走zǒuwalk
后门back door
后hòuback门méndoor
偏正Modifier + head

走 'walk' and 后门 'back door' give the image of entering through the back door, extended to using connections.

Characters in this word

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

The original shape showed a running man, with a foot added later.

Open 走 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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