empty formalities; unnecessary ceremony
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
empty formalities; unnecessary ceremony; superficial courtesy
dialectA dialectal term, common in Northern Mandarin (especially Northeast). It refers to excessive, superficial, or meaningless social rituals and polite gestures that lack genuine intent.
Zán咱
liǎ俩
shuí谁
gēn跟
shuí谁
a啊
，
bié别
lái来
nà那
xiē些
fú浮
lǐ礼
r儿
le了
。
We're close friends, cut out all those empty formalities.
Tā他
jiù就
xǐ喜
huān欢
jiǎng讲
pái排
chǎng场
，
yī一
duī堆
fú浮
lǐ礼
r儿
，
fán烦
de得
hěn很
。
He just loves pomp and circumstance, a bunch of unnecessary ceremony—really annoying.
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Bàn办
shì事
yào要
shí实
zài在
，
bié别
guāng光
zhěng整
zhè这
xiē些
xū虚
tou头
bā巴
nǎo脑
de的
fú浮
lǐ礼
r儿
。
Be practical when getting things done, don't just focus on these superficial and insincere formalities.