Jump to content
Chinese-Forums
  • Sign Up

Recommended Posts

Posted

Hi all,

I am translating some of my grandfather's writings, but my Chinese background is insufficient to cover some of the more obscure usages.

What does the phrase 坐食山空 mean?

Thanks everyone,

Matt

Posted

In classical Chinese and Cantonese, 食 means eat, like 吃. In Taiwan, at least, (where I live and the only standpoint from which I can speak), 坐吃山空 is still used fairly commonly in colloquial speech to mean 'to be lazy and squander', often used jocularly.

坐食 is, in the ABC Comprehensive Dict, defined as <wr.> sit idle and eat; be a parasite; eat without toiling, and 坐吃山空 is defined as 'fritter away a great fortune'. 山 represents the fortune, fittered away until it is 空 gone.

Posted

What kentsuarez has given is the surface meaning of "坐吃山空". When it is used, it often has the implied meaning. That is "only know how to consume the current fortune insouciantly, but having no plan for the future".

Join the conversation

You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Click here to reply. Select text to quote.

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...