成语是较早进入语言学家研究视野的一类熟语,学者们对它的探索从上世纪初开始已经走过了近一百年的历程。在这一过程中,人们对其性质的认识不断加深,在其界定方面提出了各种各样的原则。本文拟对“成语”一词的演变及其性质的认识作简单的梳理,并着重介绍和评论界定成语的几种代表性观点。 Idioms are a type of idiom that has entered the field of linguistics research earlier, and scholars’ exploration of it has come through nearly one hundred years since the beginning of the last century. In this process, people have deepened their understanding of their nature and put forward various principles in their definition. This essay tries to briefly explain the evolution and the nature of the term “idiom” and focuses on introducing and commenting on several representative ideas that define idioms.