天方夜谭
tiān fāng yè tán
a fantastic tale; something too far-fetched to believe
Character by character
天tiān
heaven
heaven
方fāng
region
region
夜yè
night
night
谭tán
tales
tales
Example
三十年前，要是有人说可以用手机买菜、打车，大家都会觉得是天方夜谭。
Thirty years ago, if anyone had said you could buy groceries and get a taxi with a phone, everyone would have thought it pure fantasy.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
天方 was the old Chinese name for Arabia, and 《天方夜谭》 is the Chinese title of The Arabian Nights, so the phrase means “a story out of the Arabian Nights”. Used of a claim or plan that sounds impossible: 简直是天方夜谭, 听起来像天方夜谭. 谭 here is an old way of writing 谈.
Learn this in Lesson 174 · HSK 7–9: 三星堆 (Sanxingdui)
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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