金屋藏娇
jīn wū cáng jiāo
to keep a mistress; (originally) to house a beloved wife in luxury
Character by character
金jīn
golden
golden
屋wū
house
house
藏cáng
hide
hide
娇jiāo
beauty
beauty
Example
电视剧里，有钱人金屋藏娇的情节实在太常见了。
In TV dramas the rich man keeping a mistress is a plot line we see far too often.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
From the 汉武故事: the boy who became 汉武帝 promised to build his cousin 阿娇 a golden house if he married her. Today it almost always means keeping a mistress.
Learn this in Lesson 87 · HSK 6–7: 汉：一个朝代的名字 (The Han: a dynasty that named a people)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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