濫觴

[Ian_Lee]

Does anybody know where does the term 濫觴 come from?

濫觴 is actually quite commonly used in Vernacular Chinese. And only after quite a few years could I figure out that it means originate/harbinger.

But why does the combination of 濫 (flooding) + 觴 (wine glass) mean originate/harbinger?

[skylee]

I have found this on the web ->

1/ 水流發源的地方。因其水量非常淺小，而僅能浮起一個酒杯，故稱為濫觴。荀子˙子道：昔者江出於山，其始出也，其源可以濫觴。文選˙郭璞˙江賦：惟岷山之導江，初發源乎濫觴。

2/ 比喻事物的開端、起源。南朝梁˙鍾嶸˙詩品序：雖詩體未全，然略是五言之濫觴也。

And this ->

滥觞

lànshāng

[originate] 浮起酒杯。喻事情的开始

夫江始出于岷山,其源可以滥觞。——《孔子家语·三恕》

And even this in Japanese ->

濫觴、らんしょう：この言葉の意味は、｢物事の始まり。物事の起こり。起源｣といったものである。

｢濫｣は｢あふれる｣、｢觴｣は｢杯(さかずき)｣の意。揚子江のような大河でも、その源は杯(觴)にあふれるほどの、つまりはささやかな水であるという意。

｢孔子曰ハク、昔者、江ハ岷山ヨリ出ヅ。ソノ始メテ出ヅルヤ、ソノ源ハ以テ觴ニ濫ルル可シ。｣(『荀子・子道』)が出典。

[Ian_Lee]

Skylee:

Thanks very much. But should the term be used as noun or verb (It seems it can be used as both)?

[yiwei]

a noun.

it used to be a verb term in the original meaning. 濫 is the verb, and 觴 is the object what 濫 acts.

but it figures a noun later, which means the beginning or origin.