Back to Back, Face to Face

Back to Back, Face to Face 1994

背靠背，脸对脸 bèikàobèi， liǎn duì liǎn

Wang Shuangli is Deputy Director of the local Cultural Centre, and hopes to be appointed Director. However Old Ma is brought in from the country and installed as Director. This starts a long train of events with Wang's cronies using the bureaucracy to try to oust the new director.

HSK 1
2
3
4
5
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7
4.5 Intermediate

Vocabulary

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汹涌澎湃 洶湧澎湃 xiōng yǒng péng pài 汹: turbulent; noisy, restless · 涌: surge up, bubble up, gush forth · 澎: splatter · 湃: sound of waves; turbulent Idiom ∼HSK 7
慌慌张张 慌慌張張 huāng huāng zhāng zhāng 慌: nervous, panicky, frantic · 慌: nervous, panicky, frantic · 张: stretch, extend, expand; sheet · 张: stretch, extend, expand; sheet Idiom ∼HSK 7
清水衙门 清水衙門 qīng shuǐ yá mén 清: clear, pure, clean; peaceful · 水: water, liquid, lotion, juice · 衙: public office; official residence · 门: gate, door, entrance, opening Idiom ∼HSK 7
不远万里 不遠萬里 bù yuǎn wàn lǐ 不: no, not; un-; negative prefix · 远: distant, remote, far; profound · 万: ten thousand; innumerable · 里: unit of distance; village; lane Idiom ∼HSK 7
画蛇添足 畫蛇添足 huà shé tiān zú lit. draw legs on a snake (idiom); fig. to ruin the effect by adding sth superfluous; to overdo it Idiom HSK 7
亡羊补牢 亡羊補牢 wáng yáng bǔ láo lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom); fig. to act belatedly; better late than never; to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted Idiom HSK 7
死心塌地 死心塌地 sǐ xīn tā dì to be hell-bent on; dead set on sth; unswerving Idiom HSK 7
天经地义 天經地義 tiān jīng dì yì lit. heaven's law and earth's principle (idiom); fig. right and proper; right and unalterable; a matter of course Idiom HSK 7
一目了然 一目了然 yī mù liǎo rán obvious at a glance (idiom) Idiom HSK 7
乱七八糟 亂七八糟 luàn qī bā zāo (idiom) chaotic; in disorder; muddled Idiom HSK 7
多心 多心 duō xīn oversensitive; suspicious Xiehouyu HSK 7
没辙 沒轍 méi zhé at one's wit's end; unable to find a way out Xiehouyu HSK 7
完蛋 完蛋 wán dàn (coll.) to be done for Xiehouyu HSK 7
使唤 使喚 shǐ huan to order sb around; (coll.) to handle (a draught animal, tool, machine etc); Taiwan pr. [shǐ huàn] Colloquialism HSK 7
嫂子 嫂子 sǎo zi (coll.) older brother's wife; sister-in-law Colloquialism HSK 7
向着 向著 xiàng zhe towards; facing (sb or sth); (coll.) to side with; to favor Colloquialism HSK 7
姥姥 姥姥 lǎo lao (coll.) mother's mother; maternal grandmother Colloquialism HSK 7
愣 愣 lèng to look distracted; to stare blankly; distracted; blank; (coll.) unexpectedly; rash; rashly Colloquialism HSK 7
现任 現任 xiàn rèn to occupy a post currently; current (president etc); incumbent; (coll.) current boyfriend (girlfriend, spouse) Colloquialism HSK 7
损 損 sǔn to decrease; to lose; to damage; to harm; (coll.) to ridicule; to deride; (coll.) caustic; sarcastic; nasty; mean; one of the 64 hexagrams of the Book of Changes: ䷨ Colloquialism HSK 7
宰 宰 zǎi to slaughter; to butcher; to kill (animals etc); (coll.) to fleece; to rip off; to overcharge; (bound form) to govern; to rule; (bound form) (a title for certain government officials in ancient China) Colloquialism HSK 7
扯 扯 chě to pull; to tear; (of cloth, thread etc) to buy; to chat; to gossip; (coll.) (Tw) ridiculous; hokey Colloquialism HSK 7
娘 娘 niáng mother; young lady; (coll.) effeminate Colloquialism HSK 7
藤椅 藤椅 téng yǐ rattan chair HSK 7
喜酒 喜酒 xǐ jiǔ wedding feast; liquor drunk at a wedding feast HSK 7
过奖 過獎 guò jiǎng to overpraise; to flatter HSK 7
讹诈 訛詐 é zhà to extort under false pretenses; to blackmail; to bluff; to defraud HSK 7
临街 臨街 lín jiē facing the street HSK 7
改日 改日 gǎi rì another day; some other day HSK 7
犯愁 犯愁 fàn chóu to worry; to be anxious HSK 7
水货 水貨 shuǐ huò smuggled goods; unauthorized goods HSK 7
成心 成心 chéng xīn intentional; deliberate; on purpose HSK 7
下乡 下鄉 xià xiāng to go to the countryside HSK 7
碍事 礙事 ài shì to be in the way; to be a hindrance; (usu. in the negative) to be of consequence; to matter HSK 7
见外 見外 jiàn wài to treat sb with the formal courtesy accorded to a host or a guest HSK 7
历届 歷屆 lì jiè all previous (meetings, sessions etc) HSK 7
斧子 斧子 fǔ zi axe; hatchet HSK 7
耍赖 耍賴 shuǎ lài to act shamelessly; to refuse to acknowledge that one has lost the game, or made a promise etc; to act dumb; to act as if sth never happened HSK 7
公安局 公安局 gōng ān jú public security bureau (government office similar in function to a police station) HSK 7
心慌 心慌 xīn huāng to be flustered; (dialect) irregular heart-beat HSK 7
心病 心病 xīn bìng anxiety; sore point; secret worry; mental disorder; heart disease (medicine) HSK 7
老汉 老漢 lǎo hàn old man; I (an old man referring to himself) HSK 7
气魄 氣魄 qì pò spirit; boldness; positive outlook; imposing attitude HSK 7
分寸 分寸 fēn cun propriety; appropriate behavior; proper speech or action; within the norms HSK 7
造价 造價 zào jià construction cost HSK 7
公费 公費 gōng fèi at public expense HSK 7
熏陶 薰陶 xūn táo to seep in; to influence; to nurture; influence; training HSK 7
食宿 食宿 shí sù board and lodging; room and board HSK 7
伯伯 伯伯 bó bo father's elder brother; uncle HSK 7
敢情 敢情 gǎn qing actually; as it turns out; indeed; of course HSK 7