Chinese algebra
- noun
- Archaic
:
álgebra china
- The explanation was so complex that it might as well have been Chinese algebra to the students.
Examples
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To me, tax forms are Chinese algebra, completely baffling.
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Advanced physics sometimes seems like Chinese algebra to non-experts.
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This math problem is like Chinese algebra to me.
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Understanding quantum physics feels like Chinese algebra!
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Many people find programming to be like Chinese algebra when they first start.
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She always says that interpreting legal documents feels like Chinese algebra due to the complex language.
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For someone who hasn't studied math, calculus can seem like Chinese algebra.
Synonyms
129
4.9
A difficult question or mystery that needs clever thought
45
8.5
A confusing problem or question that is hard to solve
1
9.6
A very complicated object with boxes inside boxes that is hard to open
A task that seems very difficult to understand, like hard math
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal reading of 'Chinese algebra' is simply 'algebra from China' and does not transparently signal difficulty; the intended meaning 'very difficult to understand' depends on a figurative, culture-specific use of 'Chinese' to mark incomibility rather than regular compositional semantics. A B1 learner who knows 'Chinese' and 'algebra' but has not encountered this figurative usage would not reliably derive the idiomatic sense, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Chinese algebra may come from a time when English speakers saw Chinese writing and math as strange and hard to read. So, calling something Chinese algebra means it is 'very difficult to understand'.