attend school; receive education
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to attend school; to study; to receive formal education
informalColloquial idiom originating from the traditional image of students consuming ink while studying. Often used in the negative to indicate a lack of education. Can take the 'r' suffix (儿化) as 喝墨水儿.
Tā他
méi没
hē喝
guo过
jǐ几
nián年
mò墨
shuǐ水
，
suǒ所
yǐ以
wén文
huà化
chéng程
dù度
bù不
gāo高
。
He didn't attend school for many years, so his educational level is not high.
Bié别
kàn看
tā他
nián年
qīng轻
，
tā他
kě可
shì是
hē喝
le了
bù不
shǎo少
mò墨
shuǐ水
de的
。
Don't be fooled by his youth; he is quite well-educated.
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Hē喝
mò墨
shuǐ水
r儿
de的
rén人
shuō说
huà话
jiù就
shì是
bù不
yī一
yàng样
。
People who have been educated speak differently.