mixed good and bad; motley crowd
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
a mixture of good and bad people; a motley crowd where the honest and dishonest are indistinguishable
Used to describe a group, place, or situation where both good/honest elements (the 'dragons') and bad/dishonest elements (the 'fish') are mixed together in a way that is difficult to distinguish. Often carries a negative or cautionary tone.
Zhè这
gè个
shì市
chǎng场
shàng上
de的
shāng商
pǐn品
yú鱼
lóng龙
hùn混
zá杂
，
nǐ你
yào要
xiǎo小
xīn心
tiāo挑
xuǎn选
。
The goods in this market are a mixed bag, so you need to choose carefully.
Zhè这
gè个
háng行
yè业
lǐ里
yú鱼
lóng龙
hùn混
zá杂
，
jì既
yǒu有
zhēn真
zhèng正
de的
zhuān专
jiā家
，
yě也
yǒu有
piàn骗
zi子
。
This industry is full of all sorts—there are genuine experts as well as swindlers.
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Wǎng网
luò络
shàng上
de的
xìn信
xī息
yú鱼
lóng龙
hùn混
zá杂
，
wǒ我
men们
bì必
xū须
xué学
huì会
biàn辨
bié别
zhēn真
wěi伪
。
Information online is a mixture of truth and falsehood; we must learn to distinguish between the genuine and the fake.