IdiomDaily Life
Chinese
Chinese半斤八两 (bàn jīn bā liǎng)
Meaning: Six of one, half a dozen of the other — equally bad.
Literally: Half a jin, eight liang
Example: “这两个候选人半斤八两，选谁都一样。” — The two candidates are six of one, half a dozen of the other.
English equivalent: Six of one, half a dozen of the other
Equivalents in other languages
Hungarian: Egyik kutya, másik eb Literally: One is a dog, the other is a hound
German: gehüpft wie gesprungen Literally: Hopped as jumped
French: C'est kif-kif Literally: It's kif-kif
English: six of one, half a dozen of the other
Origin: In the traditional Chinese system a jīn (catty) was 16 liǎng (taels), so half a jīn and eight liǎng are exactly the same weight. The phrase is said of two people or things that are equally good, or more often equally bad. The 16-tael jīn was abolished in mainland China in 1959, but the phrase stayed.
More Chinese idioms
- 卧虎藏龙 (Wò hǔ cáng lóng) Hidden talented individuals waiting quietly for their moment to shine.
- 马马虎虎 (Mǎmǎhūhū) So-so; careless and only just passable.
- 拍马屁 (pāi mǎpì) To flatter or suck up to someone.
- 亡羊补牢 (Wáng yáng bǔ láo) It's not too late to act after a setback to prevent further loss.
- 杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng) To frighten yourself with imaginary fears.
- 胸有成竹 (xiōng yǒu chéng zhú) To have a well-formed plan ready before you begin.
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