他不会是来挖墙脚的吧
“He's not trying to poach her, is he?”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
区长
“A district chief?”
他 不会是 来 挖墙脚 的 吧
“He's not trying to poach her, is he?”
挖墙脚
“To poach her?”
“Watch out, I bet he is here to steal our people or our deal.”
In traditional Chinese architecture, digging at the corner of a wall causes the whole structure to collapse. Modern speakers use this metaphor for poaching talent, clients, or romantic partners.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
could it be that... / don't tell me that...
Use this frame to make a nervous or skeptical guess about an undesirable situation.
to poach talent/clients or undermine someone's foundation
Frequently used in business (poaching employees) and romance (stealing someone's partner).
Marks speculative uncertainty and seeks confirmation for a worried guess.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“could you please vary your poaching tactics?”
“It's not like cheating in secret.”
“I heard someone's trying to poach your executive with high salaries.”
“was she trying to rip out my heart?”
“You're just betting that I'll help.”
“He won't come in.”