Chinese idiom · 成语

龙蛇混杂

lóng shé hùn zá

Meaning

Dragons and snakes mixed; a blend of good and bad.

Character by character

龙dragon

蛇snake

混mix

杂miscellaneous

Origin and story

Literary social metaphor

Dragons and snakes form an evaluative contrast in this expression: very different kinds of people are present together. Chapter 9 of Honglou meng uses the exact phrase while discussing how a large group can include disreputable individuals. Chapter 38 of Ernü Yingxiong zhuan applies it to students gathered from many provinces at the imperial academy.

These examples show a social metaphor, not a report about mythical animals sharing a place. The idiom often implies that respectable and questionable people are difficult to distinguish within a crowd. It is consequently more judgmental than a neutral description of diversity and should be used with care.

Sources and further reading

MOE: 龍蛇混雜, quoting Honglou meng 9 and Ernü Yingxiong zhuan 38

In everyday life

这个二手交易群龙蛇混杂，交易前最好先核实卖家的身份。

Zhè ge èrshǒu jiāoyì qún lóng shé hùn zá, jiāoyì qián zuìhǎo xiān héshí màijiā de shēnfèn.

This secondhand trading group includes some questionable people, so it's best to check a seller's identity before dealing with them.

Usually cautionary; means good and bad people mixed together, not ethnic or cultural variety.