Definition
下马 literally means 'to dismount from a horse', but it's also used metaphorically for 'to discontinue or abandon a (large) project or undertaking'. As a separable verb (离合词), you can insert time, measure words, or other elements between the syllables — e.g. 下了马 ('dismounted') or 下过几次马 ('dismounted several times'). In the metaphorical sense, the separated form is less common, but the verb can take objects like 下马工程. Be careful: the project sense is figurative and used in formal/business contexts.
v.o.
to dismount from a horse(figurative) to discontinueto abandon (a project or scheme)
Examples
- ，。Tā gāng xià le mǎ, jiù tīng dào yǒu rén jiào tā.He had just dismounted when he heard someone calling him.
- 。Nà ge dàxíng xiàngmù yīnwèi zījīn wèntí zuìzhōng xià le mǎ.That large-scale project was eventually discontinued due to funding problems.
- 下马。Tāmen juédìng ràng zhège jìhuà xià mǎ.They decided to abandon this plan.
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