In English we have a saying, “Get off your high horse!” It means someone is being prideful and we want them to take their pride down a notch, or just act more humble. The cool thing is that in Chinese we have a similar phrase, although it has a few different meanings from the one in English.
Xiàmǎ
下马
下 (Xià): from high to low; landing.
马 (Mǎ): horse.
An Old Man in the Frontier Lost His Horse
下马 (Xiàmǎ): action, get down from a horse; dismount from a horse.
When you use this phrase in a sentence, the sentence structure will look like this:
V. + 下马 (Xiàmǎ)
Tā cóng lìng yì biān tiào xià mǎ.
他从另一边跳下马。
He sprang down onto the other side.
This phrase has a literal meaning, to actually dismount from a horse. You can use it when describing this action in daily life.
下马 (Xiàmǎ): discontinue, used to describe a major project or work item.
This is often used in daily life when describing work situations. When you use this phrase in a sentence, the sentence structure will now look like this:
Subject + 下马 (Xiàmǎ)
Yóuyú quēfá zījīn, tāmen zhǐhǎo ràng gōngchéng xiàmǎ.
由于缺乏资金，他们只好让工程下马。
They had to discontinue the project because of a lack of funds.
Zhè xiàng gōngchéng bùnéng xiàmǎ.
这项工程不能下马。
This project should not be abandoned.
“下马 (Xiàmǎ)” means ceremony, a ritual of the Taoist practice in rural areas in some parts of China.
When using this phrase as a noun you put it into this sentence structure:
下马 (Xiàmǎ)+ V.
Xiàmǎ shì yì zhǒng yíshì.
下马是一种仪式。
Dismounting is a ritual.
“下马 (Xiàmǎ)” means role change. In ancient times, it meant the transition from cavalry to infantry.
When using this word like this you use it in this sentence structure:
Subject + 下马 (Xiàmǎ)
Qíbīng bùduì xiàmǎ chéngwéi le bùbīng bùduì.
骑兵部队下马成为了步兵部队。
The cavalry unit switched roles and became an infantry unit.
It’s amazing how many meanings just one word in Chinese can have! Are you ready to test your knowledge on “下马 (Xiàmǎ)?” Read here!
A. 继续 (Jìxù)
B. 取消 (Qǔxiāo)
C. 完成 (Wánchéng)
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Becky Zhang is a teacher at eChineseLearning.com. She has over eight years of experience teaching Mandarin Chinese to foreign students and promoting Chinese culture. She lives in Beijing but loves traveling to ancient Chinese villages. One day she’d like to be a tour guide in China!
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