shady; nondescript; neither one thing nor the other
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesidiom
shady; disreputable; of dubious character
informalDescribes a person of low moral character, often involved in questionable activities.
Mā妈
ma妈
jǐng警
gào告
wǒ我
bù不
yào要
gēn跟
nà那
xiē些
bù不
sān三
bù不
sì四
de的
rén人
lái来
wǎng往
。
My mother warned me not to associate with those shady characters.
Tā他
zhěng整
tiān天
gēn跟
yī一
qún群
bù不
sān三
bù不
sì四
de的
péng朋
you友
hùn混
zài在
yī一
qǐ起
。
He hangs out with a bunch of disreputable friends all day.
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Nà那
ge个
jiǔ酒
bā吧
lǐ里
zǒng总
shì是
yǒu有
xiē些
bù不
sān三
bù不
sì四
de的
rén人
。
There are always some shady people in that bar.
idiom
nondescript; neither fish nor fowl; poorly done
informalDescribes something that is badly made, poorly executed, or fails to meet proper standards.
Zhè这
piān篇
wén文
zhāng章
gǎi改
lái来
gǎi改
qù去
，
fǎn反
ér而
gǎi改
dé得
bù不
sān三
bù不
sì四
de的
。
This article was revised repeatedly, but ended up becoming a mess.
Tā他
chuān穿
de的
zhè这
shēn身
yī衣
fu服
，
zhōng中
xī西
jié结
hé合
，
xiǎn显
dé得
bù不
sān三
bù不
sì四
。
The outfit he's wearing, a mix of Chinese and Western styles, looks neither here nor there.
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Zhè这
ge个
fáng房
zi子
de的
zhuāng装
xiū修
fēng风
gé格
bù不
sān三
bù不
sì四
，
hěn很
bù不
xié协
tiáo调
。
The decoration style of this house is a jumbled mess and very incoherent.