家长里短

jiā cháng lǐ duǎn

family gossip; domestic chitchat

Character by character

家jiā
home

长cháng
long

里lǐ
neighbours

短duǎn
short

奶奶们在楼下聊着家长里短。

The grannies are chatting about family matters downstairs.

Tone: neutral.

The long and short of home and neighbourhood (里). 长 is cháng, not zhǎng as in 家长.

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