他不按常理出牌
“doesn't play by the rules.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
这言大人
“Lord Yan”
他 不按常理出牌
“doesn't play by the rules.”
爷爷
“Grandfather,”
“We cannot predict his next move using conventional tactics; be careful.”
Derived from card games, this widespread modern idiom describes mavericks whose disregard for implicit social norms disrupts traditional gamesmanship.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
according to common sense / as convention dictates
Commonly used in negative constructions to denote departures from established patterns.
to play a card; to make a move
A card-game metaphor widely used in spoken Chinese to describe tactical maneuvers in life or politics.