闭门羹 (bì mén gēng) — (idiom) cold-shoulder treatment, refusal of entry or reception

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to be turned away / given the cold shoulder' — usually appears in the fixed phrase 吃闭门羹 ('get refused at the door'). Used when someone is denied a meeting or entry, not for casual rejection.

idiom
cold-shoulder treatmentrefusal of entry or reception

Examples

  • ，闭门羹。
    Tā qù zhǎo lǎo bǎn jiè qián, jié guǒ chī le bì mén gēng.
    He went to the boss to borrow money, but ended up being turned away.
  • ，闭门羹。
    Dì yī cì qù nǚ péng you jiā, tā dān xīn huì chī bì mén gēng.
    The first time he visited his girlfriend's home, he worried he might be given the cold shoulder.
  • ，闭门羹。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī mén jìn hěn yán, tuī xiāo yuán jīng cháng chī bì mén gēng.
    This company has strict security; salespeople often get refused entry.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

闭门close the door
闭bìclose门méndoor
动宾Verb + object
羹gēngsoup

闭门 and 羹 combine to mean soup served behind a closed door, i.e. refusal.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閉; 闭 is its simplified writing.

  • 門門méndoor
  • 材材cáimaterial; timber

The traditional form 閉 pairs 門 (door) with 材 (material; timber); the simplified 闭 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 闭 →

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 羹 →

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