like a bull in a china shop
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Clumsy, aggressive, without care, concern or self-control.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Lụclộ, hung hăng, không quan tâm, lo lắng hoặc tự kiểm soát
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
An awkward man in society is like a bull in a china shop, always doing mischief.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org). Figurative class: Simile (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “like a bull in a china shop” mean?
Clumsy, aggressive, without care, concern or self-control.
Is “like a bull in a china shop” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.