Have you guys ever heard of the idiom 马马虎虎? Ever wonder where this idiom comes from? 马马虎虎 literally means horse horse tiger tiger, and it is usually used to describe someone that is foolish or careless. Here’s the story behind this phrase:
There was once a very well-known artist during the Song Dynasty. Many villagers requested him to paint because there weren’t many skilled artists back then. One day, two villagers asked him to paint an animal. One villager wanted him to paint a tiger and the other one wanted a horse. The artist could have drawn both, but he didn’t have enough time. So instead he painted a tiger head and a horse body. The two villagers were not satisfied with his drawing, but the artist thought it was amazing. So he hung up the painting on the wall. Many villagers were puzzled by his drawing. He would be asked numerous times about this drawing and every single time his response was, “马马虎虎” because the painting was half tiger and half horse.
One day, his older son came home and also questioned about the painting. He told his older son that what he drew was a tiger, but when his youngest son asked, he said that it was a horse. His older son went hunting the following day. On the way to hunting, he saw a horse, but he had mistaken the horse into a tiger, so the oldest son killed the horse. This horse ended up being the neighbor’s horse and they had to pay tons of money for killing it. After hearing this news, the artist was really annoyed. He thinks that it is his drawing that made him pay this much to his neighbor. When he was just about to take down the painting from the wall, he heard the news about his youngest son. He was told that his youngest son was attacked by a tiger because he had mistaken the tiger into a horse. After that, the artist fiercely tore his painting into thousands of pieces, but it was too late already because his youngest son was already gone.
The idea of this story is primarily to teach the reader a lesson, never be careless. Always focus on what you are doing, and try to make it the best. My dad always tells me “做事情不要马马虎虎” which means don’t do things irresponsibly like this artist, or else we might get similar outcomes.
Sources:
http://www.bestgushi.com/m/m/17899.html
https://www.echineselearning.com/blog/chinese-idiom-it-is-neither-a-horse-nor-a-tiger-but-what-is-it
This article was so interesting! I always used the term 马马虎虎 as in so-so, but I never knew the actual meaning behind the phrase 马马虎虎. At first, I thought the painting of the half-horse and half-tiger wasn’t going to be a big deal, but it was a big plot twist when he had to pay for his neighbor’s horse and the news about his son dying. This wouldn’t have happened if he took his time to finish two separate paintings. Now I understand why people use the term 马马虎虎 to describe someone careless and irresponsible. This story definitely taught me to be focused when I’m doing a task.
I really enjoyed reading this article! Before this, I have heard this phrase being used in Chinese culture but never understood why 马马虎虎 means so-so in English but directly translates to horse tiger. When I heard the beginning of the story, I didn’t think that the artist would actually draw two different animals on one canvas just because of time constraints. I didn’t know how he would give the same painting to the two people that wanted to buy a picture of a horse and a picture of a tiger from him. I was surprised that his kids misinterpreted what was a horse and what was a tiger about what was a horse and what was a tiger. I feel bad that the artist has to pay such a large sum of money. I can now understand why the phrase fits in with this story so well. This is recommendable to anyone that is curious about this topic.
This was a very interesting article. I’ve heard this phrase being used many times, but I never knew how it became a phrase or why it directly meant horse tiger. Chinese is really interesting because there are many deeper meanings behind popular terms and phrases that most people probably don’t know about. This painting really shows how easily people can misunderstand things if someone portrays it in a regrettable way. I’m glad this phrase has made it’s way all the way to the modern day, and people still use it in their lives to make sure people are doing the right thing.
Wow, I’ve heard of this phrase, but never knew the actual meaning. This is like idioms in English. Some people might not know the true meaning. The artist could have prevented his two son’s deaths if he informed them. I understand what 马马虎虎 means now.
Thanks for an interesting and informative article, as before reading this I had never known how horse tiger could translate to something you would use to describe someone that is foolish. When I first started reading the story, I figured that there would be no negative results from simply combining two pictures into one. I feel quite bad for the artist that drew the painting, as he did not mean for his artwork to be misinterpreted. This story just shows how careful you must be and to not take shortcuts with your work, or else there will be consequences (the artist lost a lot of money and his son). I’m glad that this story is still around today so people could be taught a valuable lesson. I will try to apply this lesson to my daily life when I am doing my work. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for this entertaining yet informative article! I never knew that 马马虎虎 had a different meaning and story behind it besides what I typically use it for to mean “okay” or “average”. I was quite surprised at how quickly a simple painting mixup escalated into paying a large sum for a horse and the death of the artist’s youngest son. These morbid events in the story do very well to fit in with the lesson of the story, as although it may not seem like it, careless or foolish work may lead to devastating consequences, so you best put your effort in producing meaningful work. After reading this story, I know now that I should apply this lesson from the story in my daily life constantly, especially in school work, and that 马马虎虎 is used to describe foolish or careless people. I’ll be much more careful when using this phrase!
Thank you for such an enjoyable yet informative article! Before reading this story, I typically used the phrase 马马虎虎 to express the meaning of “okay” or “average”. I thought that the simple mix-up of the artist’s painting wouldn’t really matter much, but it ended up leading to his paying a large sum of money and losing his youngest son. After pondering over the morbid events that befell this artist, I realized that this story although quite morbid in its ending, teaches a valuable lesson to pay careful attention to everything you do or there may be unexpected consequences that are larger than you would think them to be. I think I can use this lesson in my daily life very often, as I usually make many careless mistakes that could have been easily prevented had I put in more effort into perfecting my works. Thanks to this article, I’ll be sure to be much more careful in using the phrase 马马虎虎!
This was so interesting! It’s so cool how phrases can have figurative meanings that are so different than their literal meanings. The story behind the phrase gives it a new meaning too. I wonder what the stories behind other common sayings are.
I’ve always used the phrase 马马虎虎 and I’ve heard it growing up. I thought it meant “unclear” or something that is not easy to understand. That seems like quite a legend – a drawing of a horse-tiger results in debt and death. It’s quite an unrealistic story, but the message of being careful is conveyed nonetheless. Great article!
This article was amazing! I’ve used the term 马马虎虎 all my life, but I never knew the origin behind it. At first, I thought the painting of the half-horse and half-tiger wasn’t going to be a big deal, but it was a big plot twist when he had to pay for his neighbor’s horse and the news about his son dying.He shouldn’t have not put his full effort into the painting. Now I know to always put my full effort in or bad things may happen.
中文的意思很独特，也有很多的意思，马马虎虎这个词虽然看着是两个动物的词，其实它是一个成语，中文的意思很独特，很很特别，非常难理解。
Wow, great article! I learned so much from reading this article! For example, I never knew the origins behind this popular idiom. I also think that it is super itneresting that the artist told his older son that he had painted a tiger and told his younger son that he had painted a horse, which ultimately ended up with such horrible consequences. Also, my parents always say the same thing about not doing things irresponsibly! Thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed reading this article a lot! I heard the phrase many times before. However, I never knew about the backstory. It’s really interesting when you know the origin to a phrase you have heard a lot about before. Thank you for this great article!
That seems like quite a legend – a drawing of a horse-tiger results in debt and death. It’s quite an unrealistic story, but the message of being careful is conveyed nonetheless. Great article!
Great story. I think this type of story can tell a reader to know what is right or wrong. Many of its details include proper decision and care. It is so unlucky that the story gave a bad ending. I also remember my parents telling this story.