After learning the basics of Chinese, the next step will invariably involve learning some of the more common Chengyu used in everyday speech. For those who don't know, Chengyu is a special type of word in Chinese, usually consisting of four characters rather than the normal two and often references ancient Chinese folktales, famous historical figures, and much else. It is an integral part of modern Chinese lingo and it shows that you are cultured and learned.

The tricky thing with some of these words is that since they're adapted from ancient Chinese, they may not mean what they say at first glance. For example, a word might have a negative connotation but appear perfectly neutral if you haven't heard of it. Another common mistake even born and bred Chinese people make is simply thinking a Chengyu means one thing while it means another. A very popular word teachers like to use when reprimanding students is "不以为然," which they take to mean "disregard," yet the dictionary definition of this term is "to refute or disagree," that is, to believe something is incorrect. The word teachers should actually use is "不以为意," which looks very similar to the other word which might be what's causing the confusion. If you're thinking of using this word in the future, here's a helpful tip: In ancient Chinese, the word 然 means correct, so 不以为然 simply means not taking something as correct, literally. In modern usage, 然 is mostly used to mean "that," as in the phrase 然后 meaning "then," or literally "that after." There are also some Chengyu that reference real historical events or figures.