Hobbyhorse and Green Plum

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In Chinese culture, there is an idiom called "hobbyhorse and green plum" (qing mei zhu ma in Pinyin), which refers to he and she have grown up together since child (the implication of which is that they are the best match for their marriage). I wonder if you native English speakers can understand the meaning of the idiom when you see or hear it for the first time.

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No. Even with your explanation of it there isn't any cultural resonance with the terms of the phrase. We have kind of the same CONCEPT--"childhood sweethearts" comes kind of close with the implication that they've known and loved each other since they were kids (and presumably do still) or "high school sweethearts", but "hobbyhorse and green plum" are not culturally related to kidhood or boys and girls in either the UK or the US, as far as I know.

"which refers to he and she has grown together since child (the implication of which is they are the best match for their marriage)." which refers to a boy and a girl who have grown up together since childhood [or since they were children](the imlication of which is that they are the best match for marriage).

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@oristarA,

oristarA wrote:

In Chinese culture, there is an idiom called "hobbyhorse and green plum" (qing mei zhu ma in Pinyin), which refers to he and she have grown up together since child (the implication of which is that they are the best match for their marriage).
I wonder if you native English speakers can understand the meaning of the idiom when you see or hear it for the first time.

Yes; the idea is that they are experts on one another
and therefore know how to relate to one another better
than any stranger woud.

David

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Yeah, we understand the IDEA when you explain it to us, it's just that the idiom wouldn't particularly mean that idea to an English speaker--it's too culturally specific to a non-English culture. I don't think "green plum" means anything in particular except an unripe fruit to the general English speaker.

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@OmSigDAVID,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

oristarA wrote:
In Chinese culture, there is an idiom called "hobbyhorse and green plum" (qing mei zhu ma in Pinyin), which refers to he and she have grown up together since child (the implication of which is that they are the best match for their marriage).
I wonder if you native English speakers can understand the meaning of the idiom when you see or hear it for the first time.

Yes; the idea is that they are experts on one another
and therefore know how to relate to one another better
than any stranger woud.

David

Has it reavled that you're a Hollander?

But I am not sure whether you meant got it or not.

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@MontereyJack,

MontereyJack wrote:

Yeah, we understand the IDEA when you explain it to us, it's just that the idiom wouldn't particularly mean that idea to an English speaker--it's too culturally specific to a non-English culture. I don't think "green plum" means anything in particular except an unripe fruit to the general English speaker.

Isn't a full-grown girl a ripe fruit?

When green, the girl and the boy playing together are in a pure relationship - not sexual intentioned.

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As I say, we get the idea, but the idiom doesn't tell us anything unless you spend a paragraph to explain it, which kind of ruins the whole point of making an allusion. think of Sister Petra's ruler, an allusion which meant nothing to you until I spent a paragraph on it, because you didn't share the cultural referent.

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@oristarA,

青梅竹馬

doesn't qing mei zhu ma mean

green plum bamboo horse

referring to childhood friendship not necessarily subsequent suitability to marriage

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@laughoutlood,

laughoutlood wrote:

青梅竹馬

doesn't qing mei zhu ma mean

green plum bamboo horse

referring to childhood friendship not necessarily subsequent suitability to marriage

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Xl0Qry-hA&feature=player_detailpage[/youtube]

Glad you've found the original Chinese idiom.

What you don't know is that the idiom was derived from Li Po's poem:

郎骑竹马来，绕床弄青梅。
(You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse,
You walked about my seat, playing with blue plums.)

Well, bamboo horse first, the blue plums second here.

hobbyhorse also refers to 竹马 (bamboo horse).

Your translation is the product of machine, which often results a mess.

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Hobbyhorse and Green Plum

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