Choice
The page must state the user task, the plain meaning, and the tone so the learner knows when the phrase is appropriate.
Method
How this dictionary explains chengyu
The site is written for English speakers who need a reliable learning explanation: what the phrase says literally, what it means in real use, and where the story helps or misleads.
Check the explanation in this order
A useful chengyu entry should help a learner choose, reject, and explain the phrase. The source story is only one part of that decision.
- Meaning LayersSeparate characters, pinyin, literal image, figurative meaning, tone, register, examples, and common learner mistakes.
- Story ContextUse concise learner retellings and name the traditional source when a stable source label is appropriate.
- English TranslationMark equivalents as exact, near, or plain English so users do not force a fixed English idiom where an explanation is better.
Quality Rules
- Example sentences must include Chinese, pinyin, English, and a situation label.
- Literal translations are kept separate from actual usage.
- Uncertain origin stories are labeled as modern usage or multiple-version traditions.
- Related links must help the learner choose the next phrase, not just repeat a tag.
How source labels should be read
A source label is a learning boundary, not a claim that every modern sentence comes from one fixed classical paragraph. Some chengyu have a widely taught story tradition, some have several retellings, and some are best treated as modern colloquial usage. The entry should tell the learner which kind of explanation they are reading before the story is used as proof.
When a story is included, the goal is to preserve the decision pattern: passive waiting, late correction, harmful excess, rigid method, patient effort, or prepared confidence. The story helps memory, but the modern usage note decides whether the phrase fits an email, classroom answer, business discussion, or casual conversation.
What gets checked before an entry is published
A chengyu page needs enough information for a learner to choose, reject, and explain the phrase.
Rejection
Common mistakes and opposite links must show when a nearby chengyu would be more accurate.
Explanation
The story, examples, and learner guide must help the user explain the choice in natural English, not only recognize the Chinese form.
How new entries should be chosen after search data exists
New chengyu entries should not be added only because a title exists in a long appendix. The better signal is a learner task: repeated searches for one English idea, pinyin query, Chinese form, classroom theme, or no-result lookup that shows users are trying to solve the same problem.
When query data is available, the next batch should be chosen by usefulness and coverage. A candidate is stronger if it answers a real search phrase, connects to an existing theme, has at least two reliable lexical references, and can be compared with a nearby published entry. A candidate is weaker if it only increases page count.
How source citations are used
A citation on this site should help the learner locate a word, story tradition, or lexical reference. It should not pretend that one link proves every modern usage. For that reason, entries distinguish the headword check, the traditional story label, and the modern learner examples.
If an origin has several retellings, the entry should say so in plain language. If a phrase is mainly learned through modern usage rather than a single famous story, the page should not invent a neat origin tale. The goal is useful learning with honest limits.
Query triage workflow
Future expansion should start from learner demand, then pass an editorial fit test.
1. Identify the task
Group repeated queries by what the learner is trying to do: find a Chinese form, understand an English idea, compare two phrases, check pinyin, or recover from a no-result lookup.
2. Match the pathway
A candidate should improve at least one pathway: a theme page, a quiz set, a comparison pair, or a common classroom mistake. A title with no pathway should wait.
3. Check readiness
Before a new entry becomes public, it needs examples, source references, a visual memory contract, common mistakes, related links, and a clear reason the page is not interchangeable with nearby entries.
Classroom and quiz feedback loop
The quiz is useful because wrong answers reveal near-confusions. If learners repeatedly miss 画龙点睛 versus 画蛇添足, the site should improve the comparison and add teacher examples before adding unrelated titles. If learners search for "good advice hard to hear," a complete entry such as 良药苦口 is a better expansion than another thin list page.
Classroom feedback should be treated the same way. A teacher note that says "students know the story but choose the wrong tone" points to better usage notes, not more vocabulary volume. A note that says "students cannot find a phrase for return to roots" points to a candidate entry and a theme connection.