The role of register variation in Chinese idiom teaching: a preliminary survey study

Due to the ubiquity of idiomatic language, idiom learning plays a central role in foreign language learning. Chengyu, a major type of Chinese idiomatic expression, are extremely effective in communication, being highly vivid, concise, and loaded with affective and cultural information. This preliminary survey study is an attempt to address the relevant issue of the selection and teaching of chengyu in Chinese as a foreign language from the perspective of register variation. A questionnaire containing 100 chengyu, submitted to 17 native speakers of Chinese, revealed that the great majority of the chengyu in the sample were considered non-formal, and that register strongly correlated to the participants’ perception of frequency. On the basis of these results, the main implications for Chinese as a foreign language teaching are discussed.