CHENGYU
一本正经(yī běn zhèng jīng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, often playful
- Source:
- 清·李宝嘉《官场现形记》
MEANING
- Literal
- solemn as a volume of the classics
- Figurative meaning
- dead serious; in all earnestness
ORIGIN STORY
正经 once meant the canonical classics — the most serious books of all. By the Qing novel Officialdom Unmasked, a character "very much in the manner of the classics" is one who puts on a straight, solemn face.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“with a straight face”
EXAMPLES
他一本正经地讲笑话，更好笑了。Tā yī běn zhèng jīng de jiǎng xiàohua, gèng hǎoxiào le.HSK6
He tells jokes with a perfectly straight face, which is funnier still.
别装得一本正经，你肯定想笑。Bié zhuāng de yī běn zhèng jīng, nǐ kěndìng xiǎng xiào.HSK6
Stop looking so solemn — I know you want to laugh.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It often carries a playful edge about pretended seriousness — the "classics" image is the clue.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01