泡汤 - origin/绣花枕头 used for men and women?

[Scoobyqueen]

Does anyone know the origin of this colloquial expression. 泡汤?

Does it literally just mean foamy soup and if so, is this supposed to be bad because of the debris on top?

Another expression that I came across was 绣花枕头. Obviously, self-explanatory. However, I only saw it to be used for guys. Can it be used for girls too?

Cheers in advance.

[YuehanHao]

I am not knowledgeable, but had gotten the opposite impression about 绣花枕头.

I seem to recall reading it being used in reference to a woman some time ago, but forget where. A minute ago I found a website whose female owner uses that sobriquet, http://profile.blog.sina.com.cn/ava0017, and also saw some pictures labeled with that term belonging to women.

约翰好

[YuehanHao]

Quick follow-up on what I wrote. My wife, who can be wrong sometimes but whom I at least consider a qualified person, came home now and told me that phrase is for women, and not for men (and it was spoken using her 可不是吗 tone of voice).

However, as I think more about it, maybe I have seen it used for men before too, although seemingly in a doubly insulting way (i.e., not only stupid, but also unmanly).

约翰好

[imron]

绣花枕头. Obviously, self-explanatory.

Really? I don't see too many people getting the second part of this 歇后语 without some explanation.

绣花枕头……一包草

[carlo]

泡汤, see here:

http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/7006545.html

[semantic nuance]

繡花枕頭(繁體 traditional with audio clip)

绣花枕头(Simplified)

Hope it helps!

[Scoobyqueen]

Really? I don't see too many people getting the second part of this 歇后语 without some explanation

It might not be as obvious as I thought. I was thinking it was an expression such as "he is a chocolate teapot" where you dont need the context.

In this case it means someone looks attractive but it does not go much deeper than that like...an embroidered pillow, nice on the outside. I had heard this used for blokes when it comes to choosing a partner who can supply a steady income in the future. For a woman, I could imagine that blokes would not be looking for anything more