Reader's question:

 Ling said going through all the proposals was tedious for the committee but still "far from stressful". This was because most proposals "struck a chord" with her, she said. Could you explain “strike a chord”?

Chord is a music term, referring to the resonating sound of a set of three or more different notes played simultaneously. Literally if something strikes a chord, it resonates (produces a sound).

Metaphorically, if something strikes a chord with someone, it evokes a response in them as though it reminds them of some familiar experience.

This idiom is so overused that it has become a cliché. Movies and books, for example, are said to be striking a chord with their audiences all the time.

To this, there’s an equally overused Chinese equivalent. That is none other than 引起共鳴。

Use it, along with its Chinese equivalent, sparingly.

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本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發布一切違反國家現行法律法規的內容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.