I am reading an article on the idiom "fat chance", which has the reverse meaning of one would expect (没戏), and it raises a Mandarin example for the phenomenon - "你想得到美" - Actually I don't understand this expression at all... Could someone explain it?...

http://www.kekenet.com/cet4/201304/236377.shtml

Hello!
As a mandarin speaker, I don't fully agree "你想得到美" is the Chinese equivalent of "fat chance".
"你想得美" literally means "your dream/thought is beautiful" or "daydreaming". It's to describe someone who is being unrealistic, and most of the time it is used in speech context.
"Fat chance" simply means 沒机会 (no chance) in Chinese.

So how can "你想得美" be used to show the meaning of "fat chance"?
E.g.
A: "Can I drive your car?"
B: "你想得美! Only I can drive".

I might not be entirely right so if there are any Chinese pros around do share with us ya. :)

Thanks for your quick and kind help, Yunqing!

Ok, finally I understand it!
So, 你想得到美 is "Just dream on!" or "Go on dreaming!" or "You are a dreamer..." or, in your example "Just dream about it!" - I think what the author of the article says is not that 你想得到美 means "fat chance" but it works like "fat" in this situation, like an antonym.

(《这里的fat用其反义，有点像汉语中在同样环境下，我们常听到的“你想得倒美”》 in my translation is: "This "fat" here is an antonym, we often can hear in Chinese “你想得倒美”, which is somewhat like this (an antonym) under the same circumstances.)

Despite I understand his conception, in my opinion this is a terrible example here...

Anyways, thanks a lot again!

You're welcome.
This is probably my first attempt to explain on language queries. Need more experience to do a better job :)

You are brilliant!


(I find the term "antonym" here a bit confusing, because this is not a real antonym. This is actually an adjective that changes the meaning of a word reversal... I have to add this, there may be linguists around, ha-ha...)

Yes I don't think it's an antonym as well. I'm not sure of the website's credibility. Even the Chinese explanation seems messy. Ha!

Well, I picked the term "antonym"... That is my sin...

It is a Chinese site for English learners, but cross-linked... I love these trains of thoughts about idioms, expressions etc.; but you are right, not easy to find professional articles or articles checked by linguists. But this is the magical aspect of the net, and I also love this characteristics...

"你想得倒美!"
= "You wish!" (exclamation)
= "Yeah! Right! In your dreams!"
= "No way!"


"fat chance" (noun phrase)
= "no chance at all" (機會微乎其微 / 沒機會)
= "沒門!"

Thank you, deadserpent!