Definition
马马虎虎 is a chengyu (four-character idiom) with two main meanings. It can describe someone who is careless or sloppy in their work, or it can mean 'so-so' or 'passable' when talking about the quality of something. The origin is a folk tale about a painter who painted a horse's head and a tiger's body — hence the idea of mixing things up.
r.f.
carelesssloppyslapdashso-sofairmediocre (in quality)
Examples
- 马马虎虎，。Tā zuò shì zǒng shì mǎ ma hū hu, jīngcháng chūcuò.He always does things carelessly and often makes mistakes.
- 马马虎虎，。Zhè bù diànyǐng wǒ juéde mǎ ma hū hu, méi shénme tèbié.I think this movie is just so-so, nothing special.
- 马马虎虎，。Bié zhème mǎ ma hū hu de, zài jiǎnchá yí biàn.Don't be so careless — check it one more time.
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