English Language Tests, Intermediate level
ESL/EFL Test #320 [color=blue]“English Slang Idioms (41)”, question 1
"The chief put up the Chinese … up on me when I asked who would be in charge of interviewing the victims. He said that I didn’t need to know and wouldn’t say anything more on the case.
(a) food
(b) people
(c) products
(d) walls
English Language Tests, Intermediate level
ESL/EFL Test #320 [color=blue]“English Slang Idioms (41)”, answer 1
"The chief put up the Chinese walls up on me when I asked who would be in charge of interviewing the victims. He said that I didn’t need to know and wouldn’t say anything more on the case.
Correct answer: (d) walls
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There seems to be one “up” too many in this sentence.
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mmhmm
I’d go with removing the first “up”…i think
Hi Amy, Alex and Ben,
Many thanks for your support – we’ve removed the first “up” as you suggested.
Regards,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: The lone climber[YSaerTTEW443543]
But, what does “put the Chinese walls up on someone” mean?
Thanks,
Englishholic
Hi Englishholic
Does this definition of “Chinese Wall” do the trick for you?
investopedia.com/terms/c/chinesewall.asp
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Hello,
“The chief put the Chinese Wall up on me…” I didn’t found the meaning of this idiom, so I think this can mean that my chief rounded up on me for my asking? Am I right or not?
The Chinese Wall is mentioned here than a virtual insurmountable, impassable wall whereas it is a real physical wall.
Thanks:
Kati Svaby
Hi Kati,
A Chinese wall in the sense that it is in this question is a virtual wall, put up to stop leaks between departments of a company that might have different- and colliding - interests.
Hi BZ
I don’t understand, please help me.
What is: put the Chinese wall up on me…?
I found:
put up a good fight
put up a stout resistance
put up an argument in these sentences put up means: offer or make
Here I would understand if there was: put up the Chinese wall on me…
You’ve written: put up to stop leaks…information leaks?
What doesn’t mean here put up to…or put the Chinese wall up on me ?
Explain me please than you would explain to a child.
Thanks:
Kati
If you ‘put up’ a wall (or put a wall up), ‘put up’ in this sense means erect or build a wall.
Imagine a company where there are two departments. Department A is there to investigate customer complaints that are made about department A.
Department B would not want anyone from department A to be able to falsify any part of the complaints procedure.
So Department B would ‘put up a Chinese wall’ (figuratively, not literally). In other words, they would make sure there were procedures in place to stop anyone from department A being able to see or do anything with the complaints before the investigation was completed.
I don’t know for certain, but I imagine it’s called a Chinese wall because the Great Wall of China had the function of keeping enemies out.
Hello BZ,
Thanks for your quick answer now I would understand if there wasn’t there :
on me. What is it looking for there? The chief wants to erect the Chinese Walls on me ?
Thanks.
Kati
‘on me’ here means the same as ‘in front of me’ - he used the wall to keep me out.
Hi BZ,
My English friend who lives here in Hungary for 50 years and she translates from English to Hungarian, novels, screenplays etc.
I asked her what is her opinion about this idiom. First she thought this will be a simple thing but not.
She told me she never met with this idiom. She told me that not the first “up” shouldn’t have omitted, the sentence is comprehensible if it begins: "The Chief put up the Chinese Wall on me… and she thinks its meaning is: the chief put up on me a barrier to stop me talking.
What is your opinion?
Kati
I agree that one ‘up’ shouldn’t be there.
It doesn’t matter which one though.
Both of these work:
The chief put up the Chinese wall on me.
The chief put the Chinese wall up on me.
