瓜田李下

瓜田李下

Chinese

		melon patch
simp. and trad. (瓜田李下)		瓜田	李下
variant 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", advising one to avoid suspicion.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): guātiánlǐxià

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄚ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: guātiánlǐxià
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄚ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guatyanliishiah
    • IPA ^(key): /ku̯ä⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶
    • Yale: gwā tìhn léih hah
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gwaa¹ tin⁴ lei⁵ haa⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: gua¹ tin⁴ léi⁵ ha⁶
    • IPA ^(key): /kʷäː⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹ lei̯¹³ häː²²/

Idiom

瓜田李下

1. a position that invites suspicion; liable to lay oneself open to suspicion; be found in a suspicious position; in suspicious circumstances or surroundings
2. an idiom advising one to avoid suspicious situations, even under innocuous circumstances