New Definition of "Chicken" according to Xinhua Dictionary

[Ian_Lee]

The Xinhua Dictionary published by the Southern Press gives another meaning for "chicken" -- prostitute:

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/060817/197/1rjw1.html

出版社走火入魔 教壞下一代 字典將「雞」解作「妓女」

【太陽報專訊】內地對傳統中文字的解釋日趨出位。最近有內地小學生無意間從「南方出版社」出版的漢英《新華字典》發現，「雞」字除解作「家禽」外，竟還有「妓女」的第二重意思，引起家長極度不安。本地多間簡體書專門店原來過往亦曾引入該字典出售，教育界批評內地出版商走火入魔，為求出位不惜扭曲文字的意義，提醒學生買字典前，最好請教老師的意見。

據《深圳晚報》報道，一名年僅十歲的小學三年級女生，日前在家中翻看字典時，無意中發現「雞」字的解釋有點「奇怪」，遂向母親和阿姨提問。該字典對「雞」字共有兩個解釋，除了連三歲小孩也認識的「家禽」外，還有一個是：「妓女的貶稱。有的地方叫『雞婆』，年紀小的叫『小雞仔』，年紀大的叫『老雞婆』。」

兩人看過字典的解釋後皆大吃一驚，特別從家中找來另一本《現代漢語詞典》比較對照，發現其中對「雞」字的解釋只有「家禽」一項；此外，她們發現字典對「妓」字同樣有嚇人的詮釋，除有「古代稱以歌舞為業的女子」外，還包括「以賣淫維生的人，女的叫『妓女』，也稱『雞』；男的叫男妓，也稱『鴨』。泰國的人妖也是妓的一種」，這種對文字的非一般解釋教人大開眼界。

原來該本新派漢英字典是女孩經學校訂購得來，它由南方出版社於二○○三年出版，定價為十二元人民幣，並以「專為新世紀的中小學師生編寫，收錄大量新詞新語，富有時代氣息」作為賣點。女孩的母親對字典的新派作風愈看愈不安，最後決定將字典沒收，替女兒再買一本全新的字典使用。

[self-taught-mba]

Just now? 2 years ago when I first started learning I learned the "other meaning". Everyone laughed at me as I repeated after a tape. (passengers on the trip were Chinese) Furthermore, they were middle-aged Chinese who had already been in the US for over a year so it would hard to desscribe them as hip or still current with the latest slang yet they alll knew it.

Wenlin and others also list the slang meaning. Why so slow? Is that normal with Chinese dictionaries?

[heifeng]

That's true, this isn't very "new" at all! After 金鸡 came out I think everyone should already know about the "other" meaning....

[studentyoung]

女孩的母親對字典的新派作風愈看愈不安，最後決定將字典沒收，替女兒再買一本全新的字典使用。

The girl’s mother seems to go to some extreme. The girl is ten years old, so she surely must have heard some relative information from the society. It is just the right time for the mother to discuss things like this to understand what’s in her girl’s mind, and if possible, give her some useful knowledge and guidelines for her upcoming and sometimes annoying adolescence. Of course, the mother can take the dictionary away, but that doesn’t mean the girl will be safer. Instead, without proper and necessary communications with her parents, especially with her mother, the girl is exposed to more risks than her mother expects.

Thanks!

[HashiriKata]

So if 「雞」 is a slang for 'prostitute'. What then would the measure word be if one wants to say "There are 2 postitutes" ?

「有两个鸡」还是「有两只鸡」?

[Qcash3]

鸡 is also American slang for prostitutes, it sounds like to me the folks at Xinhua have been listening to a little too much rap.....

[liuzhou]

'Chicken' has had this meaning for decades.

When they get round to the alternative meaning of 'duck', I'll be impressed.

[skylee]

What then would the measure word be if one wants to say "There are 2 postitutes" ?

the measure word is 隻.

An alternative (or more descriptive) term is "啄地".

[HashiriKata]

Thanks skylee!

When they get round to the alternative meaning of 'duck', I'll be impressed.

And is there any hope to find an entry for "啄地" anywhere?

(PS: or is it a Cantonese word? )

[Ian_Lee]

liuzhou:

Xinhua Dictionary already gave another meaning for "DUCK":

男的叫男妓，也稱『鴨』

Xinhua only didn't specify the customers for "Duck" can be male and female.

As a parent, I also will NOT buy this dictionary for my kids. Although English dictionary like Webster also includes slangs, Xinhua has apparently gone overboard in giving more than necessary elaborations by listing 雞婆，小雞仔，老雞婆,......

[liuzhou]

So. I'm impressed.

[Lu]

Ian Lee, I hope you don't think children learn bad words out of dictionaries?

When I was in primary school, we used to look up the dirty words (that we already knew) in our dictionaries, and giggle when we found them. Most dirty words weren't in those dictionaries, but it didn't stop us from knowing them.