指着和尚骂秃子 in English zhi3 zhe5 he2 shang5 ma4 tu1 zi5 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to insult a bald man while pointing at a monk (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to insult indirectly
  • to criticize obliquely

Simplified Characters

指 着 和 尚 骂 秃 子

Traditional Characters

指 着 和 尚 罵 禿 子

Pinyin

zhi3 zhe5 he2 shang5 ma4 tu1 zi5

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

指zhi3finger 着zhe5(chess) move 和he2old variant of 和[he2] 尚shang4surname Shang 骂ma4to scold 秃tu1bald 子zi5son