瓜田李下

Chinese

		melon patch	surname; plum	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter
trad. (瓜田李下)		瓜田	李	下
simp. ^#(瓜田李下)		瓜田	李	下
alternative forms		李下瓜田
Literally: “under a plum tree or in a melon patch”.

Etymology

Originates from a longer proverb 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠／瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠 (guātián bù nà lǚ, lǐxià bù zhěng guān), literally "do not put on shoes in a melon field; do not adjust your hat under a plum tree".

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): guātiánlǐxià

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄚㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: guātiánlǐxià
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄚㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: guatiánlǐsià
  - Wade–Giles: kua¹-tʻien²-li³-hsia⁴
  - Yale: gwā-tyán-lǐ-syà
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guatyanliishiah
  - Palladius: гуатяньлися (guatjanʹlisja)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯ä⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶
  - Yale: gwā tìhn léih hah
  - Cantonese Pinyin: gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: gua¹ tin⁴ léi⁵ ha⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷaː⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹ lei̯¹³ haː²²/

Idiom

瓜田李下

a position that invites suspicion; suspicious circumstances or surroundings

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