瓜田李下

Chinese

		melon patch	surname; plum	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter
trad. (瓜田李下)		瓜田	李	下
simp. #(瓜田李下)		瓜田	李	下
alternative forms		李下瓜田
Literally: “under a plum tree or in a melon patch”.

Etymology

Originates from a longer proverb 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠／瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠 (guātián bù nà lǚ, lǐxià bù zhěng guān), literally "do not put on shoes in a melon field; do not adjust your hat under a plum tree".

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): guātiánlǐxià

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄚ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: guātiánlǐxià
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄚ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: guatiánlǐsià
    • Wade–Giles: kua¹-tʻien²-li³-hsia⁴
    • Yale: gwā-tyán-lǐ-syà
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guatyanliishiah
    • Palladius: гуатяньлися (guatjanʹlisja)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯ä⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶
    • Yale: gwā tìhn léih hah
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: gua¹ tin⁴ léi⁵ ha⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷaː⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹ lei̯¹³ haː²²/

Idiom

瓜田李下

1. a position that invites suspicion; suspicious circumstances or surroundings