herd sheep; let things slide
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesverb
to herd sheep; to pasture sheep
Literal meaning, describes the action of taking sheep out to graze.
Xiǎo小
shí时
hou候
，
wǒ我
yé爷
ye爷
měi每
tiān天
xià下
wǔ午
dōu都
qù去
shān山
shàng上
fàng放
yáng羊
。
When I was young, my grandfather would go to the mountain to herd sheep every afternoon.
Cǎo草
yuán原
shàng上
de的
mù牧
mín民
zhǔ主
yào要
kào靠
fàng放
yáng羊
wéi为
shēng生
。
Herdsmen on the grassland make a living mainly by herding sheep.
verb
to let things slide; to allow people to do as they please without supervision
informalMetaphorical usage, describing a situation where there is no supervision or control, often leading to chaos or idleness.
Lǎo老
shī师
méi没
lái来
shàng上
kè课
，
xué学
sheng生
zhǐ只
hǎo好
fàng放
yáng羊
。
The teacher didn't come to class, so the students were left to their own devices.
Fù父
mǔ母
chū出
chāi差
le了
，
jiā家
lǐ里
zhè这
jǐ几
tiān天
wán完
quán全
shì是
fàng放
yáng羊
zhuàng状
tài态
。
Our parents are on a business trip, so the house has been in a state of complete anarchy these past few days.
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Zhè这
ge个
xiàng项
mù目
quē缺
fá乏
guǎn管
lǐ理
，
tuán团
duì队
dōu都
fàng放
yáng羊
le了
。
This project lacks management, and the team has been left to run wild.