五花八门
- Literal
- five flowers and eight gates
- Figurative
- Wildly varied, of every kind imaginable: a mix so diverse it's hard to take in. It describes things, offers, or excuses, and also a crowd of every sort of person.
Where does 五花八门 come from?
It tells no particular story: it is a set four-character formula built on the numerical pattern Chinese is so fond of, "five" and "eight" paired with 花 (flower) and 门 (gate), where the figures count nothing and merely suggest abundance. The explanation you usually hear links it to old battle formations, the 五行阵 and the 八门阵, which kept shifting shape; that is best treated as tradition rather than proven origin. What is certain is the modern use: describing a motley set of every possible kind.
How is 五花八门 used? Two examples
- 他们开的课程五花八门，什么样的都有。
The courses they offer come in every shape and size — there's something for everyone.
- 迟到的理由五花八门，可惜没有一个站得住脚。
The excuses for showing up late came in every flavor; too bad not one of them held up.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
