闹中取静
nào zhōng qǔ jìng
a quiet spot in the middle of the bustle; to find calm amid noise
Character by character
闹nào
noise
noise
中zhōng
in
in
取qǔ
take
take
静jìng
quiet
quiet
Example
这家书店开在市中心的一条小巷里，闹中取静，周末来看书的人很多。
The bookshop is in a lane in the city centre, a quiet corner amid the bustle, and many people come to read there at weekends.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
A favourite of estate agents and travel writers: 闹中取静的地段, “a quiet spot in a busy area”. It can also describe a state of mind: keeping calm in a noisy world.
Learn this in Lesson 246 · HSK 9+: 西安的清真大寺 (The Great Mosque of Xi’an)
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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