Definition
家长里短 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) that refers to trivial, everyday household matters or gossip about family affairs. The literal meaning ('family long, inside short') is misleading; the actual sense is about the mundane details of domestic life that people chat about. It often carries a slightly dismissive tone, implying the topics are unimportant or petty.
l
trivial family mattersdomestic gossipeveryday household chit-chat
Examples
- ，家长里短，。Tāmen jù zài yìqǐ, liáo de dōu shì xiē jiā, méi shénme dà shì.When they get together, they just chat about trivial family matters — nothing important.
- 家长里短，。Bié zhěngtiān shuō zhèxiē jiā, duō guānxīn yíxià guójiā dàshì.Stop talking about this domestic gossip all day; pay more attention to national affairs.
- 家长里短，。Línjū dàmā zuì ài jiǎng jiā, yì liáo jiù shì yí xiàwǔ.The neighbor lady loves to talk about household trivia; once she starts, it lasts the whole afternoon.
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