Basic Rules of Hanyu Pinyin – Set Phrases (chéngyǔ)
- Four-character Set Phrases that can be divided into two halves are linked by a hyphen. For example:
- céngchū-bùqióng (happens/ed endlessly),层出不穷
- guāngmíng-lěiluò (be righteous) 光明磊落
- All other four-character set phrases and well-known expressions (shúyǔ) that cannot be readily segmented are linked. For example:
- bùyìlèhū (Isn’t it a happy thing?)不亦乐乎
- àimònéngzhù (Sorry that I can’t help you).爱莫能助
