Definition
像话 means 'to be proper' or 'to be reasonable', but it's almost always used in the negative (不像话 'outrageous, unreasonable') or in a rhetorical question (像话吗？ 'is that proper?'). It expresses strong disapproval or criticism of someone's behavior or a situation. You'll rarely hear it in a plain affirmative statement.
v
to be properto be reasonable (used in negative or rhetorical questions)
Examples
- ！Nǐ zhèyàng zuò tài bú xiàng huà le!It's really outrageous for you to do this!
- ？像话？Tā zěnme néng shuō chū zhè zhǒng huà lái? Zhè xiàng huà ma?How could he say something like that? Is that proper?
- ，。Háizimen zài túshūguǎn lǐ dàshēng shuōhuà, zhēn bú xiàng huà.The children are talking loudly in the library — it's really not proper.
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