一家人不说两家话 in English yi1 jia1 ren2 bu4 shuo1 liang3 jia1 hua4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) family members speak frankly with one another, not courteously, as if they were from two different families (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically people don't need to be deferential when they ask a family member for help
  • people from the same family should stick together (and good friends likewise)

Simplified Characters

一 家 人 不 说 两 家 话

Traditional Characters

一 家 人 不 說 兩 家 話

Pinyin

yi1 jia1 ren2 bu4 shuo1 liang3 jia1 hua4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

一yi1one 家jia1see 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5] 人ren2man 不bu4(negative prefix) 说shuo1to persuade 两liang3two 家jia1see 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5] 话hua4dialect