In a Melon Plot and Under a Plum Tree

Characters:

Pronunciation: Gua(1) Tian(2) Li(3) Xia(4)

Explanation: Meaning circumstances that tend to give rise to suspicion.

The Story: Among the old folk songs is one called "Song of the Gentleman", which has these lines: "A gentleman must prevent possible troubles and not place himself under suspicious circumstances. He is not to fasten his shoes in a melon plot or adjust his hat under a plum tree." It means that a gentleman must make himself respectable and regulate his conduct so as to avoid being misunderstood by others.

When he walks by a melon plot, he is not to fasten his shoes even when they have come loose; and when he passes a tree laden with plums, he should not raise his hands to adjust his hat even if it has become to drop, so that no one will suspect him of trying to steal melons or plums. From this, people will learn how to be a gentleman.

Usage Example (Pinyin): wei(4) bi(4) mian(3) gua(1) tian(2) li(3) xia(4) de kun(4) rao(3), zhe(4) ge(4) shi(4) zhang(3) cong(2) bu(4) jie(2) shou(4) qin(1) peng(2) hao(3) you(3) de li(3) wu(4).

Usage Example (English translation): To avoid the worry of 'In a melon plot and under a plum tree', this mayor never accept any relatives and friends' presents.

Note: The spoken Chinese Mandarin language has 4 spoken tones. We have attempted to re-create those above where after each syllable we tell you (1), (2), (3), or (4) as they correspond to each of the 4 tones. We encourage you to complement your Xianzai.com Chinese Idioms newsletter with a good offline study program.