和尚打傘——無法無天

ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄙㄢˇ

ㄨˊ ㄈㄚˇ ㄨˊ ㄊㄧㄢ

хэшан да сань

/xɤ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ sän²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/wɔː²¹ sœːŋ²²⁻³⁵ taː³⁵ saːn³³ mou̯²¹ faːt̚³ mou̯²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

Literally: (like a) monk holding up an umbrella ― no (respect for) law and order. A Chinese pun for lawless and hairless.

和尚打伞——无法无天
和尚打傘——無髮無天

(xiehouyu) no respect for law and order; unruly


秀才遇到兵——有理說不清

head

秀才遇到兵——有理說不清

秀才遇到兵——有理说不清

A scholar meets a foot soldier ― cannot use reason with him.

ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄘㄞˊ ㄩˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄅㄧㄥ

ㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄥ

сюцай юйдао бин

/ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ y⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ piŋ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵/

like talking to a wall
like talking to a wall


周瑜打黃蓋——一個願打，一個願挨

周瑜打黃蓋——一個願打，一個願挨

ㄓㄡ ㄩˊ ㄉㄚˇ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄍㄞˋ

ㄧ ˙ㄍㄜ ㄩㄢˋ ㄉㄚˇ

ㄧ ˙ㄍㄜ ㄩㄢˋ ㄞˊ

yī ge yuàn ái [Phonetic:Zhōu Yú dǎ Huáng Gài

Чжоу Юй да Хуан Гай

и гэ юань да

и гэ юань ай

/ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ y³⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ kaɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ g̊ə ɥɛn⁵¹ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ g̊ə ɥɛn⁵¹ ˀaɪ̯³⁵/

/t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ jyː²¹ taː³⁵ wɔːŋ²¹ kɔːi̯³³ jɐt̚⁵ kɔː³³ jyːn²² taː³⁵ jɐt̚⁵ kɔː³³ jyːn²² ŋaːi̯²¹/

Battle of Red Cliffs
Cao Cao
Huang Gai
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Zhou Yu

A xiehouyu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Zhou Yu wanted Huang Gai, his subordinate, to pretend to defect to Cao Cao's side so that Huang Gai could gain Cao Cao's trust. This allowed Huang Gai to set fire to Cao Cao's fleet during the Battle of Red Cliffs, forcing Cao Cao to retreat. Zhou Yu had Huang Gai flogged in front of Cao Cao's spies so that they would not be suspicious.

周瑜打黄盖——一个愿打，一个愿挨
周瑜打黃蓋——一個願打，一個願捱

Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai ― one is willing to give a beating, and one is willing to take a beating

In the end, it's like the story of Zhou Yu attacking Huang Gai: one willingly attacked, and one willingly bore the attack. In other words, both sides are willing accomplices in the pursuit of frivolous entertainment.

2006, 苗壮 (Miao Zhuang), 短信欺诈是周瑜打黄盖？ (Are we willingly submitting ourselves to text message scams?)

Zuìzhōng de zhuàngtài jiù jiāng shì Zhōu Yú dǎ Huáng Gài — yīgè yuàn dǎ yīgè yuàn ái, dàjiā yīqǐ cānyù, tú ge qīngsōng yúlè.

最終的狀態就將是周瑜打黃蓋——一個願打一個願挨，大家一起參與，圖個輕鬆娛樂。

最终的状态就将是周瑜打黄盖——一个愿打一个愿挨，大家一起参与，图个轻松娱乐。

(figurative) both parties agree of free will, mutual consent; to willingly submit to something


姜太公釣魚——願者上鉤

ㄐㄧㄤ ㄊㄞˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄉㄧㄠˋ ㄩˊ

ㄩㄢˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄕㄤˋ ㄍㄡ

Цзянтайгун дяоюй

юань чжэ шангоу

/t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ y³⁵ ɥɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ koʊ̯⁵⁵/

/kœːŋ⁵⁵ tʰaːi̯³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ tiːu̯³³ jyː²¹⁻³⁵ jyːn²² t͡sɛː³⁵ sœːŋ¹³ ŋɐu̯⁵⁵/

Grand Duke Jiang often went angling at the Weishui River, but he would fish in a bizarre way. He hung a straight hook, with no bait, three feet above the water. Over and over again, he said to himself, "Fish, if you are desperate to live, come and gulp down the hook by yourself."

Grand Duke Jiang goes fishing ― a willing person takes the bait.

(xiehouyu) like the fish rising to Grand Duke Jiang's hookless and baitless line; a willing victim letting himself be caught of his own will


黃鼠狼給雞拜年——沒安好心

黃鼠狼給雞拜年——沒安好心

黄鼠狼给鸡拜年——没安好心

The weasel pays the chicken a courtesy call on New Year's Day ― he does not have good intentions!

ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄕㄨˇ ㄌㄤˊ ㄍㄟˇ ㄐㄧ ㄅㄞˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ

ㄇㄟˊ ㄢ ㄏㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄣ

хуаншулан гэй цзи байнянь

мэй ань хаосинь

/xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ lɑŋ³⁵ keɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ paɪ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵ meɪ̯³⁵ ˀän⁵⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵/

/wɔːŋ²¹ syː³⁵ lɔːŋ²¹ kʰɐp̚⁵ kɐi̯⁵⁵ paːi̯³³ niːn²¹ muːt̚² ɔːn⁵⁵ hou̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/

wolf in sheep's clothing
wolf in sheep's clothing

(xiehouyu) Greeks bearing gifts; wolf in sheep's clothing


踏破鐵鞋無覓處，得來全不費工夫

踏破鐵鞋無覓處，得來全不費工夫

踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费工夫

One can wear out iron shoes searching for something with no success, only to acquire it by accident through no effort of one's own

ㄊㄚˋ ㄆㄛˋ ㄊㄧㄝˇ ㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄨˊ ㄇㄧˋ ㄔㄨˋ

ㄉㄜˊ ㄌㄞˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄈㄟˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ˙ㄈㄨ

daap⁶ po³ tit³ haai⁴ mou⁴ mik⁶ cyu³, dak¹ loi⁴ cyun⁴ bat¹ fai³ gung¹ fu¹

délái quán bù fèi gōngfu [Phonetic:tàpò tiěxié wú mìchù

тапо тесе у мичу

дэлай цюань бу фэй гунфу

/tʰä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ u³⁵ mi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ laɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ feɪ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu²/

daahp po tit hàaih mòuh mihk chyu, dāk lòih chyùhn bāt fai gūng fū

daap⁹ po³ tit⁸ haai⁴ mou⁴ mik⁹ tsy³, dak⁷ loi⁴ tsyn⁴ bat⁷ fai³ gung¹ fu¹

dab⁶ po³ tid³ hai⁴ mou⁴ mig⁶ qu³, deg¹ loi⁴ qun⁴ bed¹ fei³ gung¹ fu¹

/taːp̚² pʰɔː³³ tʰiːt̚³ haːi̯²¹ mou̯²¹ mɪk̚² t͡sʰyː³³ tɐk̚⁵ lɔːi̯²¹ t͡sʰyːn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ fɐi̯³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː⁵⁵/

(xiehouyu) One will search high and low only to find it when one least expects to.


摸著石頭過河——走一步算一步

摸著石頭過河——走一步算一步

摸着石头过河——走一步算一步

To feel the rocks (on the riverbed) as one crosses the river ― taking one step at a time.

ㄇㄛ ˙ㄓㄜ ㄕˊ ˙ㄊㄡ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄏㄜˊ

ㄗㄡˇ ㄧ ㄅㄨˋ ㄙㄨㄢˋ ㄧ ㄅㄨˋ

zǒu yībù suàn yībù [Phonetic:mō zhe shítou guò hé

мо чжэ шитоу го хэ

цзоу ибу суань ибу

/mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ɖ͡ʐ̥ə² ʂʐ̩³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ xɤ³⁵ t͡soʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ su̯än⁵¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ pu⁵¹/

(xiehouyu) to figure things out as one goes; to take things one step at a time


貓哭耗子——假慈悲

ㄇㄠ ㄎㄨ ㄏㄠˋ ˙ㄗ

мао ку хаоцзы

/mɑʊ̯⁵⁵ kʰu⁵⁵ xɑʊ̯⁵¹ d͡z̥z̩¹ t͡ɕi̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵ peɪ̯⁵⁵/

/maːu̯⁵⁵ hʊk̚⁵ hou̯³³ t͡siː³⁵ kaː³⁵ t͡sʰiː²¹ pei̯⁵⁵/

(chiefly Mandarin) to cry crocodile tears


狗咬呂洞賓

ㄍㄡˇ ㄧㄠˇ ㄌㄩˇ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄅㄧㄣ

gǒu yǎo Lǚ Dòngbīn [Phonetic:góuyǎolǚdòngbīn]

гоу яо Люй Дунбинь

/koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ly²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʊŋ⁵¹ pin⁵⁵/

/kɐu̯³⁵ ŋaːu̯¹³ lɵy̯¹³ tʊŋ²² pɐn⁵⁵/

/kɐu̯³⁵ ŋaːu̯¹³ lɵy̯¹³ tʊŋ²² pɐn⁵⁵/

See 狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心／狗咬吕洞宾——不识好人心 (gǒu yǎo Lǚ Dòngbīn, bùshí hǎorén xīn).

zh-l

狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心

狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心 狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心#Chinese

狗咬吕洞宾——不识好人心 狗咬吕洞宾——不识好人心#Chinese

bite the hand that feeds you
bite the hand that feeds you

Short for 狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心／狗咬吕洞宾——不识好人心 (gǒu yǎo Lǚ Dòngbīn, bùshí hǎorén xīn, “to bite the hand that feeds you”).


非洲和尚——乞人憎

/fei̯⁵⁵ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ wɔː²¹ sœːŋ²²⁻³⁵ hɐt̚⁵ jɐn²¹ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵/

An African monk is a black monk (黑人僧 (hak1 jan4 zang1)), which is a humorous near-homophonic pun of 乞人憎 (hat1 jan4 zang1, “annoying”).


豬頭三牲

ㄓㄨ ㄊㄡˊ ㄙㄢ ㄕㄥ

чжутоусаньшэн

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ sän⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡syː⁵⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ saːm⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵/

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ sän⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/

/t͡syː⁵⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ saːm⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵/

This idiom arose from 豬頭／猪头 (zhūtóu, “pig head”).
In Wu it is reinterpreted as a xiehouyu: 豬頭三──牲, i.e. "A 豬頭三 is an animal/a beast/an idiot".

Referring to animals (bull, sheep and pig) used in sacrifice, or sacrificial offering in general.


新屎坑

/sɐn⁵⁵ siː³⁵ haːŋ⁵⁵/

/sɐn⁵⁵ siː³⁵ haːŋ⁵⁵/

The first part of the proverb 新屎坑，三日香 (san1 si2 haang1, saam1 jat6 hoeng1, “new toilet: fresh for three days”).

(Cantonese) a passing fad; something new that attracts interest in the beginning but is quickly forgotten


柴可夫

/t͡sʰaːi̯²¹ hɔː³⁵ fuː⁵⁵/

/t͡sʰaːi̯²¹ hɔː³⁵ fuː⁵⁵/

Xiehouyu, using the first three syllables of 柴可夫斯基 (caai4 ho2 fu1 si1 gei1, “Tchaikovsky”) to hint at the last two, 斯基 (si1 gei1), a homophone of 司機／司机 (si1 gei1, “driver”).

1991, 岑凱倫, 《還你前生債》:

You don't like to serve girls, and you don't like to be a driver. Why do you see Sou Ling in a new light?

nei⁵ jat¹ hoeng³ bat¹ hei² fun¹ wai⁶ neoi⁵ haai⁴ zi² fuk⁶ mou⁶, jau⁶ bat¹ hei² fun¹ dong¹ caai⁴ ho² fu¹, wai⁶ ho⁴ deoi³ sou¹ ling⁴ ling⁶ ngaan⁵ soeng¹ hon¹?

你一向不喜歡為女孩子服務，又不喜歡當柴可夫，為何對蘇鈴另眼相看？

1991, 岑凱倫, 《還你前生債》:

你一向不喜欢为女孩子服务，又不喜欢当柴可夫，为何对苏铃另眼相看？

2015 August 20, “傳唐詩詠上洪永城家餵貓執屋”, in 《都市日報》 [Metro], page 30:

Yesterday, there were reports saying that Natalie Tong was freely going in and out of Tony Hung's new home in Sai Kung to help her boyfriend who hasn't got off work to feed his cat, sweep the floor and clean up the house. At the end of last month, Natalie was caught on camera being a driver, driving her boyfriend to and from work.

zok⁶ jat⁶ jau⁵ bou³ dou⁶ zi² tong⁴ si¹ wing⁶ zi⁶ ceot¹ zi⁶ jap⁶ hung⁴ wing⁵ sing⁴ sai¹ gung³ san¹ geoi¹, bong¹ mei⁶ sau¹ gung¹ dik¹ naam⁴ jau⁵ wai³ maau¹, sou³ dei⁶ gim¹ zap¹ uk¹, ji⁴ soeng⁶ jyut⁶ mei⁵ jau⁶ paak³ dou³⁻² neoi⁵ fong¹ zou⁶ “caai⁴ ho² fu¹” zaa¹ ce¹ zip³ naam⁴ fong¹ hoi¹ gung¹ sau¹ gung¹.

昨日有報道指唐詩詠自出自入洪永城西貢新居，幫未收工的男友餵貓、掃地兼執屋，而上月尾又拍到女方做「柴可夫」揸車接男方開工收工。

昨日有报道指唐诗咏自出自入洪永城西贡新居，帮未收工的男友喂猫、扫地兼执屋，而上月尾又拍到女方做「柴可夫」揸车接男方开工收工。

2020 February 20, “林穎彤超市打仗 借「富」搶廁紙”, in 《東方日報》 [Oriental Daily News], page C1:

伍富橋兼做柴可夫

伍富桥兼做柴可夫


阿茂整餅——冇嗰樣，整嗰樣

head

阿茂整餅——冇嗰樣，整嗰樣

/aː³³ mɐu̯²² t͡sɪŋ³⁵ pɛːŋ³⁵ mou̯¹³ kɔː³⁵ jœːŋ²² t͡sɪŋ³⁵ kɔː³⁵ jœːŋ²²/

A Cantonese xiehouyu, literally “(the dim sum maker) Ah Mau makes cakes — whichever kind (of cake) is running out will be made promptly.”
Nowadays usually used disapprovingly.

阿茂整饼——冇嗰样，整嗰样
亞茂整餅——冇嗰樣，整嗰樣

(Cantonese) to do something unnecessary; to ruin things by doing something superfluous; to do something that failed


鬼佬月餅——悶極

/kʷɐi̯³⁵ lou̯³⁵ jyːt̚² pɛːŋ³⁵ muːn²² kɪk̚²/

A xiehouyu, from the fact that Cantonese 悶極 (mun6 gik6) sounds like English mooncake.

鬼佬月饼——闷极
番鬼佬月餅——悶極


牛皮燈籠

ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄆㄧˊ ㄉㄥ ˙ㄌㄨㄥ

ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄆㄧˊ ㄉㄥ ㄌㄨㄥˊ

/ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ pʰi³⁵ tɤŋ⁵⁵ lʊŋ²/

/ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ pʰi³⁵ tɤŋ⁵⁵ lʊŋ³⁵/

/ŋɐu̯²¹ pʰei̯²¹ tɐŋ⁵⁵ lʊŋ²¹/

/ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ pʰi³⁵ tɤŋ⁵⁵ lʊŋ²/

/ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ pʰi³⁵ tɤŋ⁵⁵ lʊŋ³⁵/

/ŋɐu̯²¹ pʰei̯²¹ tɐŋ⁵⁵ lʊŋ²¹/

First part of a xiehouyu. The second part could be:
# 點不明 (Mandarin) / 點極都唔明 (Cantonese) – cannot be lit / cannot be made to understand
# 肚裡亮 – bright inside / understand in one's mind


紅番排隊去廁所——語無倫次

紅番排隊去廁所——語無倫次

hung⁴ faan¹ paai⁴ doey⁶⁻² hoey³ tsi³ so²

/hʊŋ²¹ faːn⁵⁵ pʰaːi̯²¹ tɵy̯²²⁻³⁵ hɵy̯³³ t͡sʰiː³³ sɔː³⁵/

In stereotypes, American aboriginal people usually wear headpieces with feathers. Thus Red Indians lining up to go to the washroom is 羽毛輪廁／羽毛轮厕 (jyu5 mou4 leon4 ci3, “(people decorated with) feathers waiting for their turn to use the washroom”), which is a homophonic pun of 語無倫次／语无伦次 (jyu5 mou4 leon4 ci3).

红番排队去厕所——语无伦次

Red Indians lining up to go to the washroom—(people decorated with)feathers waiting for their turn to use the washroom

(Cantonese, humorous) to speak incoherently; to ramble in one's statement; confused and incomprehensible speech


踏破鐵鞋無覓處

ㄊㄚˋ ㄆㄛˋ ㄊㄧㄝˇ ㄒㄧㄝˊ ㄨˊ ㄇㄧˋ ㄔㄨˋ

тапо тесе у мичу

/tʰä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ u³⁵ mi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵¹/

/taːp̚² pʰɔː³³ tʰiːt̚³ haːi̯²¹ mou̯²¹ mɪk̚² t͡sʰyː³³/

lang

踏破鐵鞋無覓處，得來全不費工夫

踏破鐵鞋無覓處，得來全不費工夫

One can wear out iron shoes searching for something with no success.


王八看綠豆——對上眼了

王八看绿豆——对上眼了
王八看綠豆——看對眼了
王八看綠豆——看上眼了
王八看綠豆——對眼了

A tortoise gazes at two mung beans ― taking a fancy to each other.(because a tortoise's eyes look like two mung beans)

ㄨㄤˊ ˙ㄅㄚ ㄎㄢˋ ㄌㄩˋ ㄉㄡˋ

ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄤˋ ㄧㄢˇ ˙ㄌㄜ

ванба кань люйдоу

дуйшан янь лэ

/wɑŋ³⁵ b̥ä³ kʰän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ly⁵¹⁻⁵³ toʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tu̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ jɛn²¹⁴ lə⁴/

(derogatory, humorous) Describes two ugly people who find each other attractive.


丈八燈臺——照遠不照近

丈八灯台——照远不照近
丈八燈台——照遠不照近
丈八燈臺——照得見人家，照不見自家
丈八燈臺——照見人家，照不見自己

1.8 zhang lampstand ― lighting up the far side but not the near side

ㄓㄤˋ ㄅㄚ ㄉㄥ ㄊㄞˊ

ㄓㄠˋ ㄩㄢˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ

zhào yuǎn bù zhào jìn [Phonetic:zhàng bā dēngtái

чжан ба дэнтай

чжао юань бу чжао цзинь

/ʈ͡ʂɑŋ⁵¹ pä⁵⁵ tɤŋ⁵⁵ tʰaɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ɥɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕin⁵¹/

/t͡sœːŋ²² paːt̚³ tɐŋ⁵⁵ tʰɔːi̯²¹ t͡siːu̯³³ jyːn¹³ pɐt̚⁵ t͡siːu̯³³ kʰɐn¹³/

(xiehouyu) seeing other people's shortcomings but not one's own


狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心

head

狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心

狗咬吕洞宾——不识好人心

adog bites Lü Dongbin ― to fail to see the heart of a good person

ㄍㄡˇ ㄧㄠˇ ㄌㄩˇ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄅㄧㄣ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˊ ㄏㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄣ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˋ ㄏㄠˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄣ

bùshí hǎorén xīn [Phonetic:góuyáolǚdòngbīn

гоу яо Люй Дунбинь

буши хаожэнь синь

/koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ly²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʊŋ⁵¹ pin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

bùshì hǎorén xīn [Phonetic:góuyáolǚdòngbīn

/koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ly²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʊŋ⁵¹ pin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

/kɐu̯³⁵ ŋaːu̯¹³ lɵy̯¹³ tʊŋ²² pɐn⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ sɪk̚⁵ hou̯³⁵ jɐn²¹ sɐm⁵⁵/


貓哭老鼠——假慈悲

ㄇㄠ ㄎㄨ ㄌㄠˇ ㄕㄨˇ

мао ку лаошу

/mɑʊ̯⁵⁵ kʰu⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵ peɪ̯⁵⁵/

/maːu̯⁵⁵ hʊk̚⁵ lou̯¹³ syː³⁵ kaː³⁵ t͡sʰiː²¹ pei̯⁵⁵/


螃蟹過河——七手八腳

ㄆㄤˊ ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄏㄜˊ

ㄑㄧ ㄕㄡˇ ㄅㄚ ㄐㄧㄠˇ

/pʰɑŋ³⁵ ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ xɤ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pʰɔːŋ²¹ haːi̯¹³ kʷɔː³³ hɔː²¹ t͡sʰɐt̚⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ paːt̚³ kœːk̚³/


小大姐兒裁械子

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄝˇㄦ ㄘㄞˊ ㄒㄧㄝˋ ˙ㄗ

hsiao³ ta⁴-chieh³-ʼrh tsʻai² hsieh⁴ tzŭ⁵

сяо дацзер цай се цзы

/ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯³⁵ ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ d͡z̥z̩¹/

Short for 小大姐兒裁械子——閒時置下忙時用／小大姐儿裁械子——闲时置下忙时用 (“put aside when not busy, use when busy”)

zh-etym-short

An [unmarried] young girl cutting up diapers [for the future baby]

(xiehouyu) getting ready for what's to come while there's time to spare


肉包子打狗

ㄖㄡˋ ㄅㄠ ˙ㄗ ㄉㄚˇ ㄍㄡˇ

ròubāozi dǎ gǒu [Phonetic:ròubāozidágǒu]

жоубаоцзы да гоу

/ʐoʊ̯⁵¹ pɑʊ̯⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩² tä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jʊk̚² paːu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ taː³⁵ kɐu̯³⁵/

/jʊk̚² paːu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ taː³⁵ kɐu̯³⁵/

A xiehouyu. The second part is 有去無回／有去无回 (yǒuqùwúhuí). When one throws a meat bun to a dog, it will always eat it, and the person can never get the bun back.


過街老鼠

ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄌㄠˇ ㄕㄨˇ

/ku̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kʷɔː³³ kaːi̯⁵⁵ lou̯¹³ syː³⁵/

/kʷɔː³³ kaːi̯⁵⁵ lou̯¹³ syː³⁵/

From 過街老鼠——人人喊打／过街老鼠——人人喊打 (guòjiē lǎoshǔ, rénrén hǎn dǎ).


六月大菜——假有心

/lak̚⁴⁻² ɡueʔ⁴ tua¹¹ t͡sʰai²¹³ ke⁵²⁻³⁵ u³⁵⁻¹¹ sim³³/

Chinese mustard is only ready to be harvested in the winter, so one that is harvested in June (summer) is not mature yet, hence lacking a core ("heart").

June Chinese mustard ― falsely has a heart


菜脯搵豆油——加工

/t͡sʰai²¹⁻⁵³ pɔ⁵³ un²¹⁻⁵³ tau²²⁻²¹ iu²⁴ ke⁴⁴⁻²² kaŋ⁴⁴/

/t͡sʰai⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ pɔ⁵⁵⁴ un⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ tau⁴¹⁻²² iu²⁴ ke³³ kaŋ³³/

/t͡sʰai²¹⁻⁵³ pɔ⁵³ un²¹⁻⁵³ tau²²⁻²¹ iu¹³ ke⁴⁴⁻²² kaŋ⁴⁴/

/t͡sʰai¹¹⁻⁵³ pɔ⁵³ un¹¹⁻⁵³ tau³³⁻¹¹ iu²⁴ ke⁴⁴⁻³³ kaŋ⁴⁴/

/t͡sʰai²¹⁻⁴¹ pɔ⁴¹ un²¹⁻⁴¹ tau³³⁻²¹ iu²³ ke⁴⁴⁻³³ kaŋ⁴⁴/

Preserved radish is already salty, so to dip in in soy sauce, which is also salty, is performing an action that is unnecessary.

Dip preserved radish in soy sauce ― do extra work


小和尚念經——有口無心

Little monk recites scripture ― has a mouth but no heart

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄋㄧㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄥ

ㄧㄡˊ ㄎㄡˇ ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄣ

сяо хэшан няньцзин

ю коу у синь

/ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xɤ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ni̯ɛn⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ joʊ̯³⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/

to not fully understand; to be half-hearted


石榴皮熬鹽——鹹澀

cook pomegranate skin in salt ― salty and bitter / stingy

/sioʔ⁴⁻² liu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ pʰue⁵⁵ ŋau⁵⁵⁻¹¹ iam⁵⁵ kiam⁵⁵⁻¹¹ siap̚²/


囡仔穿大人衫——大軀

/ɡin⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ a⁴¹ t͡sʰiɪŋ³³⁻²¹ tua³³⁻²¹ laŋ²³ sã⁴⁴ tua³³⁻²¹ su⁴⁴/

/ɡin⁵³⁻⁴⁴ a⁵³ t͡sʰiɪŋ³³⁻¹¹ tua³³⁻¹¹ laŋ²⁴ sã⁴⁴ tua³³⁻¹¹ su⁴⁴/

/ɡin⁵³⁻⁴⁴ a⁵³ t͡sʰiɪŋ²²⁻²¹ tua²²⁻²¹ laŋ²⁴ sã⁴⁴ tua²²⁻²¹ su⁴⁴/

大軀 (tōa su, “a big set of clothes”) is a homophone of 大輸 (tōa su, “to lose badly”).

囡仔穿大人衫——大躯
囝仔穿大人衫──大軀
囝仔穿大人衫——大襲
囡仔穿大人衫——大套
囝仔穿大人衫——大套

child wears adult shirt ― big set of clothes


外甥打燈籠——照舊

ㄨㄞˋ ㄕㄥ ㄉㄚˇ ㄉㄥ ㄌㄨㄥˊ

вайшэн да дэнлун

/waɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤŋ⁵⁵ lʊŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹/

照舊／照旧 (zhàojiù, “to be as before”) is a pun on the homophone 照舅 (zhào jiù, “to shine on one's maternal uncle”).

nephew carries a lantern ― to be as before


六月芥菜——假有心

/lak̚⁴⁻³² ɡe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ kua²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰai²¹ ke⁵³⁻⁴⁴ u²²⁻²¹ sim⁴⁴/

/lak̚²⁴⁻² ɡə(ʔ)²⁴⁻² kua⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ t͡sʰai⁴¹ ke⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ u²² sim³³/

/lak̚¹²¹⁻²¹ ɡue(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ kua²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰai²¹ kɛ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ u²²⁻²¹ sim⁴⁴/

/lak̚⁴⁻³² ɡue(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ kua²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sʰai²¹ ke⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ u³³⁻²¹ sim⁴⁴/


潮州音樂——自己顧自己

/t͡sʰiːu̯²¹ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ ŋɔːk̚² t͡siː²² kei̯³⁵ kuː³³ t͡siː²² kei̯³⁵/

/t͡sʰiːu̯²¹ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ ŋɔːk̚² kiː²² kiː⁵⁵ kuː³³ kiː²² kiː⁵⁵/

A pun involving the Teochew word 家己 (ga1 gi7, “oneself”), comparing the sound of the phrase ga gi gu ga gi to the sound of an erhu.

Teochew music ― one only cares about oneself

(Cantonese) to only care about oneself and not others


泥水佬開門口——過得自己過得人

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泥水佬開門口——過得自己過得人

泥水佬开门口——过得自己过得人

a bricklayer cuts a door opening in the wall ― it has to be passable for himself and also for others

/nɐi̯²¹ sɵy̯³⁵ lou̯³⁵ hɔːi̯⁵⁵ muːn²¹ hɐu̯³⁵ kʷɔː³³ tɐk̚⁵ t͡siː²² kei̯³⁵ kʷɔː³³ tɐk̚⁵ jɐn²¹/

(Cantonese) Consider whether one's actions are acceptable to others; Be considerate of others and do not act unreasonably


泥菩薩過江——自身難保

泥菩萨过江——自身难保
泥菩薩過江，自身難保

a clay bodhisattva statue crosses the river ― unable to even protect oneself

ㄋㄧˊ ㄆㄨˊ ㄙㄚˋ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄐㄧㄤ

ㄗˋ ㄕㄣ ㄋㄢˊ ㄅㄠˇ

нипусагоцзян

цзышэньнаньбао

/ni³⁵ pʰu³⁵ sä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ ʂən⁵⁵ nän³⁵ pɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/nɐi̯²¹ pʰou̯²¹ saːt̚³ kʷɔː³³ kɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː²² sɐn⁵⁵ naːn²¹ pou̯³⁵/

to be in trouble oneself and thus unable to help others


雞食放光蟲——心知肚明

the chicken eats a firefly—the heart knows and the stomach is bright

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ sɪk̚² fɔːŋ³³ kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹⁻³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ tʰou̯¹³ mɪŋ²¹/

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ sɪk̚² fɔːŋ³³ kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ sɐm⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ tʰou̯¹³ mɪŋ²¹/


太公分豬肉——人人有份

/tʰaːi̯³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ t͡syː⁵⁵ jʊk̚² jɐn²¹ jɐn²¹ jɐu̯¹³ fɐn²²⁻³⁵/

(Cantonese) everyone receives a share (of something given out)


司馬昭之心——路人皆知

ㄙ ㄇㄚˇ ㄓㄠ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄣ

ㄌㄨˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄓ

Сыма Чжао чжи синь

лужэнь цзе чжи

/sz̩⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ lu⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/

/siː⁵⁵ maː¹³ t͡sʰiːu̯⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ lou̯²² jɐn²¹ kaːi̯⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵/

From Cao Mao (Emperor of Cao Wei)'s statement of ousting Sima Zhao, before Cao was assassinated by Sima. This quote was later quoted by the historian Pei Songzhi in his annotated version of the Records of the Three Kingdoms

In Year 3 of Jingyao (Year 1 of Jingyuan of Wei, 260 AD), Sima Zhao assassinated the emperor Cao Mao and Wang Jing. (Before this,) Since the death of Cao Fang, the State of Wei has abolished the royal guards. There was no longer strong defense and only old and weak soldiers were left. Cao Mao felt that his authority was fading away and felt angry. Then he called Wang Chen, Wang Jing and Wang Ye, and told them, “Even people passing by know the ambition of Sima Zhao. I can't bear the humiliation of being dethroned. I think it's time to fight against him now.”

景耀三年（魏景元元年），昭殺其主髦及王經。自曹芳事後，魏人省徹宿衛，無復鎧甲，諸門戎兵老弱而已。曹髦見威權日去，不勝其忿。乃召侍中王沈、尚書王經、常侍王業，謂曰：「司馬昭之心，路人所知也。[[#Chinese|]]

司马昭之心——路人皆知
司馬昭之心，路人皆知

Sima Zhao's heart ― every passer-by knows

one's evil ambitions are apparent to everyone

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms


豬八戒照鏡子——裡外不是人

豬八戒照鏡子——裡外不是人

猪八戒照镜子——里外不是人

Zhu Bajie looks at the mirror - not a human both inside and outside

ㄓㄨ ㄅㄚ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄓㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄗˇ

ㄌㄧˇ ㄨㄞˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕˋ ㄖㄣˊ

lǐwàibùshìrén [Phonetic:Zhū Bājiè zhào jìngzǐ

Чжу Бацзе чжао цзинцзы

ливайбушижэнь

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ waɪ̯⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

to be unable to make anybody happy; to please none of them


神仙放屁——不同凡響

when an immortal farts ― a sound from an extraordinary being

ㄕㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄈㄤˋ ㄆㄧˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄈㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄤˇ

шэньсяньфанпи

бутунфаньсян

/ʂən³⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ fɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tʰʊŋ³⁵ fän³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/sɐn²¹ siːn⁵⁵ fɔːŋ³³ pʰei̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ tʰʊŋ²¹ faːn²¹ hœːŋ³⁵/


啞巴吃黃連——有苦說不出

啞巴吃黃連——有苦說不出

哑巴吃黄连——有苦说不出
啞巴吃黃蓮——有苦說不出

a mute person tasting ineffably bitter herbs

ㄧㄚˇ ˙ㄅㄚ ㄔ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄌㄧㄢˊ

ㄧㄡˇ ㄎㄨˇ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄨ

yǒu kǔ shuōbùchū [Phonetic:yǎbachīhuánglián

яба чи хуанлянь

/jä²¹⁴ b̥ä⁴ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ li̯ɛn³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵/

/aː³⁵ paː⁵⁵ hɛːk̚³ wɔːŋ²¹ liːn²¹ jɐu̯¹³ fuː³⁵ syːt̚³ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵/

to be unable to express one's discomfort; to be forced to suffer in silence


田雞過河——各有各𨅝

田鸡过河——各有各𨅝
田雞過河——各有各撐

frogs cross the river —— each frog kicks its own legs to move forward

/tʰiːn²¹ kɐi̯⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³ hɔː²¹ kɔːk̚³ jɐu̯¹³ kɔːk̚³ jaːŋ³³/

(Cantonese) each person goes their own way, caring only about themselves and not others


蒙古王打仔——大汗𢱕細汗

蒙古王打仔——大汗𢱕細汗

蒙古王打仔——大汗𢱕细汗

The Mongolian monarch hits his son—the big khan beats up the small khan (big sweat drips on small sweat)

/mʊŋ²¹ kuː³⁵ wɔːŋ²¹ taː³⁵ t͡sɐi̯³⁵ taːi̯²² hɔːn²² tɐp̚² sɐi̯³³ hɔːn²²/


孔夫子搬家——淨是書

ㄎㄨㄥˇ ㄈㄨ ㄗˇ ㄅㄢ ㄐㄧㄚ

кунфуцзы баньцзя

/kʰʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ fu⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʂu⁵⁵/

淨是書／净是书 (jìng shì shū) is a pun on 盡是輸／尽是输 (jìn shì shū, “to have always lost”).

Confucius moves to a new home - everything is just books

to have always lost and never won a single time


十五個吊桶打水——七上八下

十五個吊桶打水——七上八下

十五个吊桶打水——七上八下

Fifteen buckets draw water from the well—seven buckets aboveground, eight below ground.

ㄕˊ ㄨˇ ㄍㄜˋ ㄉㄧㄠˋ ㄊㄨㄥˇ ㄉㄚˇ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

ㄑㄧ ㄕㄤˋ ㄅㄚ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

шиу гэ дяотун дашуй

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ kɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ tʰʊŋ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ pä⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/


門牌第一號——頭家

/mŋ̍²⁴⁻²² pai²⁴ te²²⁻²¹ it̚³²⁻⁴ ho²² tʰau²⁴⁻²² ke⁴⁴/

/mŋ̍²⁴⁻¹¹ pai²⁴ te³³⁻¹¹ it̚³²⁻⁴ ho³³ tʰau²⁴⁻¹¹ ke⁴⁴/

/mŋ̍²³⁻³³ pai²³ te³³⁻²¹ it̚³²⁻⁴ hɤ³³ tʰau²³⁻³³ ke⁴⁴/


番仔鬍鬚——無半撇

/huan⁴⁴⁻²² a⁵³ hɔ²⁴⁻²² t͡sʰiu⁴⁴ bo²⁴⁻²² puã²¹⁻⁵³ pʰiɛt̚³²/


阿兄徛樓頂——高高在上

/a⁴⁴⁻³³ hiã⁴⁴ kʰia³³⁻²¹ lau²³⁻³³ tiɪŋ⁴¹ kɤ⁴⁴⁻³³ kɤ⁴⁴ t͡sai³³⁻²¹ siɔŋ³³/

/a⁴⁴⁻²² hiã⁴⁴ kʰia²²⁻²¹ lau²⁴⁻²² tiɪŋ⁵³ ko⁴⁴⁻²² ko⁴⁴ t͡sai²²⁻²¹ siɔŋ²²/

/a⁴⁴⁻³³ hiã⁴⁴ kʰia³³⁻¹¹ lau²⁴⁻¹¹ tiɪŋ⁵³ ko⁴⁴⁻³³ ko⁴⁴ t͡sai³³⁻¹¹ siɔŋ³³/

高高 (“high”) is a pun on 哥哥 (“elder brother”).

(Hokkien) setting oneself high above the masses; not in touch with the common people or reality; aloof and remote


屎坑關刀

/siː³⁵ haːŋ⁵⁵ kʷaːn⁵⁵ tou̯⁵⁵/

/siː³⁵ haːŋ⁵⁵ kʷaːn⁵⁵ tou̯⁵⁵/

屎坑關刀——文又唔得，武又唔得 屎坑關刀——文又唔得，武又唔得#Chinese

屎坑关刀——文又唔得，武又唔得 屎坑关刀——文又唔得，武又唔得#Chinese

(Cantonese) to lack ability and be useless. Short for 屎坑關刀——文又唔得，武又唔得／屎坑关刀——文又唔得，武又唔得.


屎坑關刀——文又唔得，武又唔得

屎坑關刀——文又唔得，武又唔得

/siː³⁵ haːŋ⁵⁵ kʷaːn⁵⁵ tou̯⁵⁵ mɐn²¹ jɐu̯²² m̩²¹ tɐk̚⁵ mou̯¹³ jɐu̯²² m̩²¹ tɐk̚⁵/

A pun based on the homophony of 文 (man4, “literary”) and 聞／闻 (man4, “to smell”), and the homophony of 武 (mou5, “martial arts”) and 舞 (mou5, “to dance”).

屎坑关刀——文又唔得，武又唔得

Guan Yu's blade in a latrine - not good at both literature and martial arts

(Cantonese) to lack ability and be useless


諸葛亮借東風——神機妙算

諸葛亮借東風——神機妙算

诸葛亮借东风——神机妙算

Zhuge Liang borrows the easterly wind—a brilliant plan

ㄓㄨ ㄍㄜˇ ㄌㄧㄤˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄉㄨㄥ ㄈㄥ

ㄕㄣˊ ㄐㄧ ㄇㄧㄠˋ ㄙㄨㄢˋ

ㄓㄨ ㄍㄜˊ ㄌㄧㄤˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄉㄨㄥ ㄈㄥ

Чжугэ Лян цзе дунфэн

шэньцзимяосуань

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ kɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ tʊŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂən³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ mi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ su̯än⁵¹/

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ kɤ³⁵ li̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ tʊŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂən³⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵ mi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ su̯än⁵¹/

/t͡syː⁵⁵ kɔːt̚³ lœːŋ²² t͡sɛː³³ tʊŋ⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐn²¹ kei̯⁵⁵ miːu̯²² syːn³³/


八仙過海

ㄅㄚ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄏㄞˇ

/pä⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːt̚³ siːn⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³ hɔːi̯³⁵/

/pat̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn⁴⁴ ke²¹⁻⁵³ hai⁵³/

/pat̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn⁴⁴ ke¹¹⁻⁵³ hai⁵³/

/pä⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/paːt̚³ siːn⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³ hɔːi̯³⁵/

/pat̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn⁴⁴ ke²¹⁻⁵³ hai⁵³/

/pat̚³²⁻⁴ siɛn⁴⁴ ke¹¹⁻⁵³ hai⁵³/

(mahjong) winning hand composed of the eight flower tiles


姜太公封神——漏了自己

Grand Duke Jiang deifies – leaving himself out

ㄐㄧㄤ ㄊㄞˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄈㄥ ㄕㄣˊ

ㄌㄡˋ ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄗˋ ㄐㄧˇ

Цзянтайгун фэншэнь

лоу ляо цзыцзи

/t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂən³⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹ li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kœːŋ⁵⁵ tʰaːi̯³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐn²¹ lɐu̯²² liːu̯¹³ t͡siː²² kei̯³⁵/


姜太公封神——漏咗自己

Grand Duke Jiang investiture of the gods – omitting himself

ㄐㄧㄤ ㄊㄞˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄈㄥ ㄕㄣˊ

ㄌㄡˋ ˙ㄗㄨㄛ ㄗˋ ㄐㄧˇ

Цзянтайгун фэншэнь

лоу цзо цзыцзи

/t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂən³⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹ d͡z̥u̯ɔ¹ t͡sz̩⁵¹ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kœːŋ⁵⁵ tʰaːi̯³³ kʊŋ⁵⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐn²¹ lɐu̯²² t͡sɔː³⁵ t͡siː²² kei̯³⁵/

姜太公封神——漏了自己 姜太公封神——漏了自己#Chinese

Alternative form of 姜太公封神——漏了自己 (Jiāngtàigōng fēngshén, lòu liǎo zìjǐ)


上山捉蟹——難

ㄕㄤˋ ㄕㄢ ㄓㄨㄛ ㄒㄧㄝˋ

шаншань чжо се

/ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ nän³⁵/

/sœːŋ¹³ saːn⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ haːi̯¹³ naːn²¹/

/ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ nän³⁵/

/sœːŋ¹³ saːn⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ haːi̯¹³ naːn²¹/


塘底石——水乾先見

/tʰɔːŋ²¹ tɐi̯³⁵ sɛːk̚² sɵy̯³⁵ kɔːn⁵⁵ siːn⁵⁵ kiːn³³/

(Cantonese) somebody whose true character only shows when they are broke


老婆跋落溪——淒涼

/lau³⁵⁻¹¹ pʰua⁵⁵⁻¹¹ puaʔ⁴⁻² loʔ⁴⁻² kʰoi³³ t͡sʰi³³⁻²³ liaŋ⁵⁵/

A pun on 淒涼／凄凉, which is homophonous to 妻涼/妻凉 (“the wife is cold”).

the wife falls into the river—the wife is cold


公婆拜蟹——腳手㩼

/koŋ³³⁻²³ pʰua⁵⁵ pai²¹³⁻⁵⁵ hoi³⁵ kʰa³³⁻²³ t͡sʰiu⁵² t͡soi¹¹/

(Teochew) to be hyperactive; to have itchy fingers


劉備借荊州——一借冇回頭

劉備借荊州——一借冇回頭

刘备借荆州——一借冇回头

/lɐu̯²¹ pei̯²²⁻³⁵ t͡sɛː³³ kɪŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ t͡sɛː³³ mou̯¹³ wuːi̯²¹ tʰɐu̯²¹/

(Cantonese) something borrowed will not be returned


劉備借荊州——有借無還

ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄅㄟˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄓㄡ

ㄧㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄨˊ ㄏㄨㄢˊ

Лю Бэй цзе Цзинчжоу

ю цзе у хуань

/li̯oʊ̯³⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ u³⁵ xu̯än³⁵/

From the plot of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where Liu Bei asked Sun Quan to lend Jingzhou to him, but Liu refused to return Sun's land when asked to.

Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou - borrowing without returning

Liu Bei
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Sun Quan


鼻哥窿擔遮——避無可避

/pei̯²² kɔː⁵⁵ lʊŋ²¹⁻⁵⁵ taːm⁵⁵ t͡sɛː⁵⁵ pei̯²² mou̯²¹ hɔː³⁵ pei̯²²/

避無可避／避无可避 (“to have nowhere to hide”) is homophonous to 鼻毛可避 (“nose hairs can hide”).

the nostril holds an umbrella—to have nowhere to hide

(Cantonese) to have nowhere to flee or hide


孫悟空大鬧天宮——慌了神

孫悟空大鬧天宮——慌了神

孙悟空大闹天宫——慌了神

the Monkey King wreaks havoc in the heavenly palace—causing the gods to be flustered (to be disoriented and confused)

ㄙㄨㄣ ㄨˋ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄉㄚˋ ㄋㄠˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄍㄨㄥ

Сунь Укун да нао тяньгун

хуан лэ шэнь

/su̯ən⁵⁵ u⁵¹ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ nɑʊ̯⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ lə² ʂən³⁵/

to be disoriented and confused after experiencing shock


閻羅王打交——鬼打鬼

/jiːm²¹ lɔː²¹ wɔːŋ²¹ taː³⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯³⁵ taː³⁵ kʷɐi̯³⁵/


冇牙佬飲湯——無齒下流

/mou̯¹³ ŋaː²¹ lou̯³⁵ jɐm³⁵ tʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ t͡sʰiː³⁵ haː²² lɐu̯²¹/

無齒下流/无齿下流 (“no teeth [so the soup] flows down”) is homophonous to 無恥下流/无耻下流 (“to be shameless and vulgar”).

zh-l

a toothless man drinks soup–no teeth [so the soup] flows down

(Cantonese) to be vulgar and know no shame


成吉思汗打仔——大汗𢱕細汗

head

成吉思汗打仔——大汗𢱕細汗

成吉思汗打仔——大汗𢱕细汗

Genghis Khan hits his son—the big khan beats up the small khan (big sweat drips on small sweat)

/sɪŋ²¹ kɐt̚⁵ siː⁵⁵ hɔːn²¹ taː³⁵ t͡sɐi̯³⁵ taːi̯²² hɔːn²² tɐp̚² sɐi̯³³ hɔːn²²/


老王賣瓜——自賣自誇

Old Wang selling melons - he sells and boasts about them himself

ㄌㄠˇ ㄨㄤˊ ㄇㄞˋ ㄍㄨㄚ

ㄗˋ ㄇㄞˋ ㄗˋ ㄎㄨㄚ

Лао Ван май гуа

цзы май цзы куа

/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ wɑŋ³⁵ maɪ̯⁵¹ ku̯ä⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ maɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹ kʰu̯ä⁵⁵/

/lou̯¹³ wɔːŋ²¹⁻³⁵ maːi̯²² kʷaː⁵⁵ t͡siː²² maːi̯²² t͡siː²² kʷʰaː⁵⁵/

to boast about one's own products or works


鴨仔跋落水——免驚死

鸭仔跋落水——免惊死
鴨仔絆落水——免驚死

the duck falls into the water—no need to fear death

/a(ʔ)⁵ a⁵⁵⁴ pua(ʔ)²⁴⁻² lo(ʔ)²⁴⁻² t͡sui⁵⁵⁴ biɛn⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ kiã³³ si⁵⁵⁴/

(Hokkien) one has the ability to save oneself, and therefore need not fear adversity


閻羅王探病——問你死未

Yama visits a sick person—to ask you if you are going to die yet

/jiːm²¹ lɔː²¹ wɔːŋ²¹ tʰaːm³³ pɛːŋ²² mɐn²² nei̯¹³ sei̯³⁵ mei̯²²/

(Cantonese) to be up to no good; to have ulterior motives; to be in serious trouble


墳場耍大刀——嚇鬼

play with a large broadsword in a graveyeard – scare ghosts

/fɐn²¹ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ saː³⁵ taːi̯²² tou̯⁵⁵ haːk̚³ kʷɐi̯³⁵/

(Cantonese) to be unable to scare people


墳頭上耍大刀——嚇鬼

play with a large broadsword on a grave mound – scare ghosts

ㄈㄣˊ ㄊㄡˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄕㄨㄚˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄉㄠ

фэньтоу шан шуа дадао

/fən³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʂu̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ tä⁵¹ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


黃皮樹了哥——唔熟唔食

/wɔːŋ²¹ pʰei̯²¹⁻³⁵ syː²² liːu̯¹³⁻⁵⁵ kɔː⁵⁵ m̩²¹ sʊk̚² m̩²¹ sɪk̚²/

(Cantonese) to take advantage of people one is closely acquainted with


十月芥菜——起心

/sɐp̚² jyːt̚² kaːi̯³³ t͡sʰɔːi̯³³ hei̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/

Chinese mustard is almost ready to be harvested in the winter, thus one that is grown til October has just grown out a core, thus started to have a core (mind).

(Cantonese, euphemistic) to describe a teenage girl who hopes to have a love relationship with a man


十月芥菜——起嗮心

October Chinese mustard ― start a mind completely

/sɐp̚² jyːt̚² kaːi̯³³ t͡sʰɔːi̯³³ hei̯³⁵ saːi̯³³ sɐm⁵⁵/

十月芥菜——起心 十月芥菜——起心#Chinese

(Cantonese, euphemistic) Alternative form of 十月芥菜——起心


童子軍跳彈床——是鳩但

/tʰʊŋ²¹ t͡siː³⁵ kʷɐn⁵⁵ tʰiːu̯³³ taːn²² t͡sʰɔːŋ²¹ siː²² kɐu̯⁵⁵ taːn²²/

Homophonous pun between scout彈／scout弹 (si6 gau1 daan6, “scout bounces”) and 是鳩但／是鸠但 (si6 gau1 daan6, “fucking whatever”), the expletive-infixed form of 是但 (si6 daan6, “whatever”).

(Hong Kong Cantonese, dated, vulgar) fucking whatever; fucking casually; don't fucking care


方太教煮餸——整定

/fɔːŋ⁵⁵ tʰaːi̯³³⁻³⁵ kaːu̯³³ t͡syː³⁵ sʊŋ³³ t͡sɪŋ³⁵ tɪŋ²²/

Lisa Fong is a television personality who hosts cooking shows, in which she often moves on to the next step with an identical dish that is prepared in advance, due to time constraints. Hence her method of teaching cookery is described as 整定 (zing² ding⁶, “pre-made, prepared in advance”), which has another sense of “predestined; preordained”.

Mrs. Fong teaches cooking dishes - it's made in advance

(Hong Kong Cantonese) predestined; preordained


北角夜總會——麗池

/pɐk̚⁵ kɔːk̚³ jɛː²² t͡sʊŋ³⁵ wuːi̯²²⁻³⁵ lɐi̯²² t͡sʰiː²¹/

Pun on 麗池 (lai6 ci4, “The Ritz Night Club”) and 例遲 (lai6 ci4, “habitually late”). The former is a nightclub near North Point, and also name of a general area 麗池 (lai6 ci4, “Lai Chi”) named after the nightclub, in present-day Quarry Bay.

Nightclub in North Point:The Ritz Night Club

(Hong Kong Cantonese) habitually late; always late; frequently late


客廳吊草蓆——唔是畫

/kʰeʔ²⁻⁴ tʰĩã³³⁻²³ tiou²¹³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰau⁵²⁻³⁵ t͡sʰioʔ⁴ m³⁵⁻¹¹ si³⁵⁻¹¹ ue¹¹/

唔是畫 (m⁶ si⁶ uê⁷, “not a painting”) is a pun on the homophone 唔是話 (m⁶ si⁶ uê⁷, “not words”).

(Teochew) for something to be amiss with one's words


飛象過河

ㄈㄟ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄏㄜˊ

/feɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ xɤ³⁵/

/fei̯⁵⁵ t͡sœːŋ²² kʷɔː³³ hɔː²¹/

/feɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ xɤ³⁵/

/fei̯⁵⁵ t͡sœːŋ²² kʷɔː³³ hɔː²¹/

(xiangqi) to move one's elephant across the river (a move that is against the rules of xiangqi)


山草藥——噏得就噏

/saːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰou̯³⁵ jœːk̚² ɐp̚⁵ tɐk̚⁵ t͡sɐu̯²² ɐp̚⁵/

噏 (ap¹) is a homophonic pun of 罨 (ap¹, “to apply medical ointment”).

山草药——噏得就噏
生草藥——噏得就噏

herbal medicine - just apply it (on skin) if you want to


廁所點燈——找屎

/t͡sʰiː³³ sɔː³⁵ tiːm³⁵ tɐŋ⁵⁵ t͡saːu̯³⁵ siː³⁵/

Pun on homophonous 找屎 (zaau² si²) and 找死 (zaau² si²).

to light a lamp in a toilet: to look for faeces


和尚划船——無法度

/hue²³⁻³³ siũ³³⁻²¹ kɤ²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sun²³ bɤ²³⁻³³ huat̚³²⁻⁴ tɔ³³/

/hue²⁴⁻¹¹ siũ³³⁻¹¹ ko¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡sun²⁴ bo²⁴⁻¹¹ huat̚³²⁻⁴ tɔ³³/

A monk is bald, i.e. he has no hair (無髮／无发 (bô hoat)). Therefore, the second part of the phrase is 無髮渡／无发渡. 髮／发 (hoat) has the same pronunciation as 法 (hoat) and 渡 (tō͘, “sailing across the sea or river”) has the same pronunciation as 度 (tō͘)

zh-l

A Buddhist monk rows a boat - a man with no hair sailing across (to no avail)


澳門風扇——麻鳩煩

/ou̯³³ muːn²¹⁻³⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ siːn³³ maː²¹ kɐu̯⁵⁵ faːn²¹/

Near homophonous pun between the English translation of 澳門風扇／澳门风扇 (ou3 mun4-2 fung1 sin3, “Macau fan”) and 麻鳩煩／麻鸠烦 (maa4 gau1 faan4, “fucking annoying”), the expletive-infixed form of 麻煩／麻烦 (maa4 faan4, “annoying”).

(Hong Kong Cantonese, dated, vulgar) fucking annoying


阿聾送殯——唔聽你支死人笛

head

阿聾送殯——唔聽你支死人笛

阿聋送殡——唔听你支死人笛

A deaf person attends a funeral - won't listen to your flute for the dead people/damn flute

/aː³³ lʊŋ²¹ sʊŋ³³ pɐn³³ m̩²¹ tʰɛːŋ⁵⁵ nei̯¹³ t͡siː⁵⁵ sei̯³⁵ jɐn²¹ tɛːk̚²⁻³⁵/

dance to someone's tune
dance to someone's tune

(Cantonese) to not dance to someone's tune


日本首相——左揗右揗

/jɐt̚² puːn³⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ sœːŋ³³ t͡sɔː³⁵ tʰɐn²¹ jɐu̯²² tʰɐn²¹/

A near-homophonic pun on the Cantonese pronunciation of the former Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato's name 佐藤 (zo³ tang⁴), from Japanese 佐藤(さとう) (satō).

日本首相——左騰右騰
日本首相——佐藤右藤

Prime Minister of Japan - Sato Uto/running to and fro

Are you busy recently?
(Literally, “Have you become the prime minister of Japan recently?”)

nei⁵ zeoi³ gan⁶ hai⁶ mai⁶ zou⁶ zo² jat⁶ bun² sau² soeng³ aa³?

你最近係咪做咗日本首相呀？

你最近系咪做咗日本首相呀？

(Cantonese) to be very busy such that one is rushing to everywhere


阿崩叫狗——越叫越走

/aː³³ pɐŋ⁵⁵ kiːu̯³³ kɐu̯³⁵ jyːt̚² kiːu̯³³ jyːt̚² t͡sɐu̯³⁵/

狗 (gau²) and 走 (zau²) have similar pronunciation in Cantonese except the initial consonants. The dog may hear 走 (zau², “run”) instead of 狗 (gau², “dog”) when the speech is not clear.

A person with a cleft lip calls a dog - the more he calls, the farther it runs

(Cantonese) the more control one exerts on someone, the less he/she complies; to not listen to others and go one's way


沙頭角村長個女——你愛

saa¹ tau⁴ gok⁸ tsyn¹ dzoeng² go³ noey⁵⁻²

/saː⁵⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ kɔːk̚³ t͡sʰyːn⁵⁵ t͡sœːŋ³⁵ kɔː³³ nɵy̯¹³⁻³⁵ nei̯¹³ ɔːi̯³³/

Named after a leader of Yim Liu Ha Village in Sha Tau Kok, Hong Kong in 1960s called 李愛／李爱 (lei5 oi3), which is near-homophonous to 你愛／你爱 (nei5 oi3, “you take it”). The name was mistaken as his daughter's since it sounds feminine.

沙头角村长个女——你爱
沙頭角村長個女——李愛

the daugher of Sha Tau Kok Village's leader - Lee Oi (you take it)

(Hong Kong Cantonese, dated) Used to describe something that no one wants.


老鼠拉龜

ㄌㄠˇ ㄕㄨˇ ㄌㄚ ㄍㄨㄟ

лаошу ла гуй

/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ lä⁵⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/

/lou̯¹³ syː³⁵ laːi̯⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯⁵⁵/

/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ lä⁵⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/

/lou̯¹³ syː³⁵ laːi̯⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯⁵⁵/

The idiom is a Cantonese xiehouyu and the second part may be 無從下手／无从下手 (wúcóng xiàshǒu), 無處下手／无处下手 (wúchù xiàshǒu) (in Mandarin) or 冇埞埋手 (mou⁵ deng⁶ maai⁴ sau²) (in Cantonese).

(originally Cantonese, figurative) to have no clue about how to handle a problem


潮州佬煲粥——呢鑊杰

/t͡sʰiːu̯²¹ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ lou̯³⁵ pou̯⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ niː⁵⁵ wɔːk̚² kiːt̚²/

Pun on the words 鑊／镬 (wok⁶, “wok; trouble, problem”) and 杰 (git⁶, “viscous; serious”). Teochew-style congee is more viscous than Canton-style congee.

Teochew guy makes congee – it's awok with viscous [congee]


閻羅王貼告示——鬼話連篇

閻羅王貼告示——鬼話連篇

阎罗王贴告示——鬼话连篇

Yama posts notices – pieces in devil's language

ㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄨㄛˊ ㄨㄤˊ ㄊㄧㄝ ㄍㄠˋ ㄕˋ

ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄆㄧㄢ

Яньло Ван те гаоши

гуйхуаляньпянь

/jɛn³⁵ lu̯ɔ³⁵ wɑŋ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛ⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ä⁵¹ li̯ɛn³⁵ pʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/jiːm²¹ lɔː²¹ wɔːŋ²¹ tʰiːp̚³ kou̯³³ siː²² kʷɐi̯³⁵ waː²²⁻³⁵ liːn²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵/

/jiːm²¹ lɔː²¹ wɔːŋ²¹ tʰiːp̚³ kou̯³³ siː²² kʷɐi̯³⁵ waː²² liːn²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵/

(xiehouyu) to talk a lot of nonsense; to tell a series of untruths


七月半鴨仔——毋知死活

/t͡sʰit̚³²⁻⁴ ɡe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ puã¹¹ a(ʔ)³²⁻⁴⁴ a⁵³ m̩³³⁻¹¹ t͡sai⁴⁴⁻³³ si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ uaʔ⁴/

/t͡sʰit̚³²⁻⁴ ɡe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ puã²¹ a(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ a⁵³ m̩²²⁻²¹ t͡sai⁴⁴⁻²² si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ uaʔ⁴/

/t͡sʰit̚³²⁻⁴ ɡue(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ puã²¹ a(ʔ)³²⁻⁴⁴ a⁴¹ m̩³³⁻²¹ t͡sai⁴⁴⁻³³ si⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ uaʔ⁴/

/t͡sʰit̚³²⁻⁵ ɡue(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ puã²¹ a(ʔ)³²⁻⁴⁴ a⁵³ m̩²²⁻²¹ t͡sai⁴⁴⁻²² si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ uaʔ¹²¹/

/t͡sʰit̚⁵⁻²⁴ ɡə(ʔ)²⁴⁻² puã⁴¹ a(ʔ)⁵ a⁵⁵⁴ m̩²² t͡sai³³ si⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ uaʔ²⁴/

According to customs in Southern China, chicken is used as sacrifice for gods, while ducks are used as sacrifice for ghosts. Therefore, ducks are likely to be slaughtered at the Ghost Festival.

ducks on Ghost Festival - don't know whether they can live

(Hokkien) to act recklessly; to do something regardless of danger


四方木——踢一踢，喐一喐

四方木——踢一踢，喐一喐

四方木——踢一踢，郁一郁

A square wood - moves once when kicked once

/sei̯³³ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ mʊk̚² tʰɛːk̚³ jɐt̚⁵ tʰɛːk̚³ jʊk̚⁵ jɐt̚⁵ jʊk̚⁵/

(Cantonese, figurative) being lazy or with passive attitude and only does own's job when asked to


擡棺材甩褲——失禮死人

抬棺材甩褲——失禮死人
抬棺材甩裤——失礼死人

Pants come off when carrying the coffin - disgrace to the dead/very disgraceful

/tʰɔːi̯²¹ kuːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ lɐt̚⁵ fuː³³ sɐt̚⁵ lɐi̯¹³ sei̯³⁵ jɐn²¹/

(Cantonese) very disgraceful; very disrespectful


北港香爐——人人插

the incense burner atChaotian Temple of Beigang - everyone puts (incenses) into it

ㄅㄟˇ ㄍㄤˇ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄌㄨˊ

Бэйган сянлу

/peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ lu³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰä⁵⁵/

(Taiwan, figurative, derogatory) a sexually promiscuous woman; a town bicycle


火燒旗杆——長嘆

/fɔː³⁵ siːu̯⁵⁵ kʰei̯²¹ kɔːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ tʰaːn³³/

A wooden flagpole after being burnt is a long piece of charcoal (長炭／长炭 (coeng⁴ taan³)), which is homophonic pun on 長嘆／长叹 (coeng⁴ taan³).
嘆／叹 (taan³) can mean "sigh" or "to enjoy" in Cantonese.

火燒旗桿——長嘆
火燒旗杆——長歎
火燒旗桿——長歎
火烧旗杆——长叹

when fire burns a flagpole - a long piece of charcoal

(Cantonese) to enjoy life for a long time


火燒棺材——大嘆

/fɔː³⁵ siːu̯⁵⁵ kuːn⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔːi̯²¹ taːi̯²² tʰaːn³³/

A coffin after being burnt is a big piece of charcoal (大炭 (daai⁶ taan³)), which is homophonic pun on 大嘆／大叹.

火燒棺材——大歎
火烧棺材——大叹

when fire burns a coffin - a big piece of charcoal (enjoy life greatly)


梁新記牙刷——一毛不拔

/lœːŋ²¹ sɐn⁵⁵ kei̯³³ ŋaː²¹ t͡sʰaːt̚³⁻³⁵ jɐt̚⁵ mou̯²¹ pɐt̚⁵ pɐt̚²/

From the commercial of Leung Sun Kee Toothbrush Factory in Guangzhou in 1920-30s. The slogan 一毛不拔 (jat¹ mou⁴ bat¹ bat⁶) here meant "no single bristle will fall from the toothbrush" and was used to promote the quality of their products.

Leung Sun Kee's toothbrushes - no single bristle will fall / very stingy


黑白天鵝——日哦夜哦

/hɐk̚⁵ paːk̚² tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋɔː²¹ jɐt̚² ŋɔː²¹ jɛː²² ŋɔː²¹/

/haːk̚⁵ paːk̚² tʰiːn⁵⁵ ŋɔː²¹ jɐt̚² ŋɔː²¹ jɛː²² ŋɔː²¹/

A xiehouyu playing on the homophones 鵝／鹅 (ngo⁴, “goose”) and 哦 (ngo⁴, “to nag”), thus the first part being able to be interpreted as black and white sky-geese (swans) or as black (night) and white (day) sky nagging.

black and white swans — to nag day and night


老舉埋年——算鳩數

a prostitute near the end of a year―keeping penis accounts

/lou̯¹³ kɵy̯³⁵ maːi̯²¹ niːn²¹ syːn³³ kɐu̯⁵⁵ sou̯³³/


賣魚佬沖涼——冇嗮聲氣

/maːi̯²² jyː²¹ lou̯³⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ lœːŋ²¹ mou̯¹³ saːi̯³³ sɛːŋ⁵⁵ hei̯³³/

腥氣／腥气 (seng¹ hei³, “fishy smell”) is a homophonic pun of 聲氣／声气 (seng¹ hei³, “news”).

A fishmonger takes a shower/bath — no fishy smell (news)

(Cantonese) no further news; no later development


神檯貓屎——神憎鬼厭

神枱貓屎——神憎鬼厭
神台猫屎——神憎鬼厌
神臺貓屎——神憎鬼厭
神台貓屎——神憎鬼厭

cat poo on an altar - the God hates, it, the ghosts hate it too

/sɐn²¹ tʰɔːi̯²¹ maːu̯⁵⁵ siː³⁵ sɐn²¹ t͡sɐŋ⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯³⁵ jiːm³³/

(Cantonese) extremely detestable; extremely irritating


鹹菜燒豆腐

ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄘㄞˋ ㄕㄠ ㄉㄡˋ ˙ㄈㄨ

ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄘㄞˋ ㄕㄠ ㄉㄡˋ ㄈㄨˇ

сяньцай шао доуфу

/ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ toʊ̯⁵¹ fu¹/

/ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ toʊ̯⁵¹ fu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ toʊ̯⁵¹ fu¹/

For the idiom, it is short for 鹹菜燒豆腐，有鹽在先／咸菜烧豆腐，有盐在先 (“salted vegetables and tofu, have the salted one first”), a wordplay on 有言在先 (yǒuyán zàixiān).


鹹菜燒豆腐

ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄘㄞˋ ㄕㄠ ㄉㄡˋ ˙ㄈㄨ

ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄘㄞˋ ㄕㄠ ㄉㄡˋ ㄈㄨˇ

сяньцай шао доуфу

/ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ toʊ̯⁵¹ fu¹/

/ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ t͡sʰaɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ toʊ̯⁵¹ fu¹/

(xiehouyu) to make it clear beforehand; to forewarn


便所彈吉他——臭彈

便所弹吉他——臭弹
便所內彈吉他——臭彈
便所底彈吉他——臭彈

playing the guitar in the toilet - playing at a stinky place (bragging)

/piɛn³³⁻¹¹ sɔ⁵³ tuã²⁴⁻¹¹ ɡi¹¹⁻⁵³ ta¹¹ t͡sʰau¹¹⁻⁵³ tuã³³/

/piɛn³³⁻²¹ sɔ⁴¹ tuã²³⁻³³ ɡi²¹⁻⁴¹ ta²¹ t͡sʰau²¹⁻⁴¹ tuã³³/

/piɛn³³⁻¹¹ sɔ⁵³ tuã²⁴⁻¹¹ ɡi(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ taʔ³² t͡sʰau¹¹⁻⁵³ tuã³³/

/piɛn³³⁻²¹ sɔ⁴¹ tuã²³⁻³³ ɡi(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ taʔ³² t͡sʰau²¹⁻⁴¹ tuã³³/

(Hokkien) to brag; to boast; to bluff; to talk nonsense; to chatter idly


蠟燭——勿點勿亮

蜡烛——勿点勿亮
蠟燭——弗點弗亮

/laʔ¹¹ t͡soʔ²³ vəʔ²² ti⁴⁴ vəʔ²² liã⁴⁴/

/laʔ³³ t͡soʔ⁴⁴ fəʔ⁵⁵ tɪ³³ fəʔ⁵⁵ liã⁵²³/

/laʔ¹¹ t͡soʔ²³ vəʔ²² ti⁴⁴ vəʔ²² liã⁴⁴/

/laʔ³³ t͡soʔ⁴⁴ fəʔ⁵⁵ tɪ³³ fəʔ⁵⁵ liã⁵²³/

(Northern Wu, of a person) to not understand someone else's thoughts and intentions if not explicitly told; to not act unless clearly prompted to


路邊尿桶——眾人漩

A manure bucket on the roadside - everyone pisses in it

/lɔ³³⁻²¹ pĩ⁴⁴ ziɤ³³⁻²¹ tʰaŋ⁴¹ t͡siɪŋ²¹⁻⁴¹ laŋ²³ suan³³/

/lɔ³³⁻¹¹ pĩ⁴⁴ lio³³⁻¹¹ tʰaŋ⁵³ t͡siɪŋ¹¹⁻⁵³ laŋ²⁴ suan³³/


法國大餐——多嚿魚

/faːt̚³ kʷɔːk̚³ taːi̯²² t͡sʰaːn⁵⁵ tɔː⁵⁵ kɐu̯²² jyː²¹⁻³⁵/

Near homophonous pun on 多嚿魚／多嚿鱼 (“extra piece of fish”) and 多鳩餘／多鸠余 (“fucking unnecessary”).


鐵拐李踢足球——一腳踢

/tʰiːt̚³ kʷaːi̯³⁵ lei̯¹³ tʰɛːk̚³ t͡sʊk̚⁵ kʰɐu̯²¹ jɐt̚⁵ kœːk̚³ tʰɛːk̚³/

Tieguai Li is a deity in Chinese legend who had a lame leg and walked with an iron walking stick. If he plays football, he could only kick with one leg.

Tieguai Li plays football - kicks only with one leg

(Cantonese) to do something entirely by oneself (when it can be done by more people); to be in a one-man band


皇帝的女兒——不愁嫁

The emperor's daughter - need not worry about the lack of a marital match

ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄋㄩˇ ㄦˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄡˊ ㄐㄧㄚˋ

хуанди дэ нюйэр

/xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹ d̥ə¹ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵¹/

someone or something that is always in demand


霸王敬酒——不乾也得乾

The hegemon toasts you - drink up even if you don't wish to

ㄅㄚˋ ㄨㄤˊ ㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄢ ㄧㄝˇ ㄉㄜˊ ㄍㄢ

баван цзинцзю

бу гань е дэ гань

/pä⁵¹ wɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ kän⁵⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤ³⁵ kän⁵⁵/


和尚訓道士——管得寬

A Buddhist monk teaches a Daoist priest a lesson - interfering beyond his own business.

ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄒㄩㄣˋ ㄉㄠˋ ˙ㄕ

ㄍㄨㄢˇ ㄉㄜˊ ㄎㄨㄢ

хэшан сюнь даоши

гуань дэ куань

/xɤ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕyn⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ʂʐ̩¹ ku̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤ³⁵ kʰu̯än⁵⁵/


豬八戒吃人參果——全不知滋味

head

豬八戒吃人參果——全不知滋味

猪八戒吃人参果——全不知滋味

Zhu Bajie eating a ginseng fruit - doesn't know its taste at all

ㄓㄨ ㄅㄚ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄔ ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄣ ㄍㄨㄛˇ

ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄗ ㄨㄟˋ

Чжу Бацзе чи жэньшэньго

цюань бу чжи цзывэй

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹/

to be unable to appreciate something or know its value


矮子騎大馬——上下兩難

A dwarf riding a tall horse - getting on and off are both difficult

ㄞˇ ˙ㄗ ㄑㄧˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄇㄚˇ

ㄕㄤˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄋㄢˊ

айцзы ци да ма

шанся лян нань

/ˀaɪ̯²¹⁴ d͡z̥z̩⁴ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ tä⁵¹ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵/


老鼠過街——人人喊打

a rat crosses the street - everyone yells 'beat it!'

ㄌㄠˇ ㄕㄨˇ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄐㄧㄝ

ㄖㄣˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄏㄢˇ ㄉㄚˇ

лаошу го цзе

жэньжэнь хань да

žɛnʹžɛnʹ xanʹ da

/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʐən³⁵ xän²¹⁴⁻³⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


到火神廟求雨——找錯了門

到火神廟求雨——找錯了門

到火神庙求雨——找错了门

to go to the Fire God's temple to pray for rain - at the wrong place

ㄉㄠˋ ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄕㄣˊ ㄇㄧㄠˋ ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄩˇ

ㄓㄠˇ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ˙ㄌㄜ ㄇㄣˊ

дао Хошэнь мяо цю юй

чжао цо лэ мэнь

/tɑʊ̯⁵¹ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂən³⁵ mi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ y²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ lə¹ mən³⁵/


老太婆的裹腳布——又臭又長

老太婆的裹腳布——又臭又長

老太婆的裹脚布——又臭又长

An old woman's foot-binding cloth - both long and smelly

ㄌㄠˇ ㄊㄞˋ ㄆㄛˊ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄍㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ

ㄧㄡˋ ㄔㄡˋ ㄧㄡˋ ㄔㄤˊ

yòu chòu yòu cháng [Phonetic:lǎotàipódeguójiǎobù

лаотайпо дэ гоцзяо бу

/lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ pʰu̯ɔ³⁵ d̥ə³ ku̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ joʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ joʊ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵/

to be over-long or loquacious in speech or writing


豬八戒穿紅袍——不倫不類

豬八戒穿紅袍——不倫不類

猪八戒穿红袍——不伦不类

Zhu Bajie wearing a red robe - fitting in no category

ㄓㄨ ㄅㄚ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄔㄨㄢ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄆㄠˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄨㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄟˋ

Чжу Бацзе чуань хун пао

/ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ pä⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯än⁵⁵ xʊŋ³⁵ pʰɑʊ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ lu̯ən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ leɪ̯⁵¹/


日本郵船——遲早完

/jɐt̚² puːn³⁵ jɐu̯²¹ syːn²¹ t͡sʰiː²¹ t͡sou̯³⁵ jyːn²¹/

The second part of this xiehouyu is a fictional Japanese ship named 池早丸 (ci⁴ zou² jyun², “Ikehaya Maru”), which is a near-honophonic pun on 遲早完／迟早完 (ci⁴ zou² jyun⁴), due to the tendency of Japanese ships to be named with the kanji 丸(まる) (maru).

Japanese cruise - will end sooner or later

(Cantonese) will be done for very soon; will meet someone's end sooner or later


過街老鼠——人人喊打

arat crosses the street ― everyone cries to kill it

ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄌㄠˇ ㄕㄨˇ

ㄖㄣˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄏㄢˇ ㄉㄚˇ

жэньжэнь хань да

žɛnʹžɛnʹ xanʹ da

/ku̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ ʐən³⁵ xän²¹⁴⁻³⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kʷɔː³³ kaːi̯⁵⁵ lou̯¹³ syː³⁵ jɐn²¹ jɐn²¹ haːm³³ taː³⁵/


雷公劈豆腐——搵軟嘅嚟蝦

雷公劈豆腐——搵軟嘅嚟蝦

雷公劈豆腐——搵软嘅嚟虾

The thunder strikes on a piece of tofu - bullying a soft thing

/lɵy̯²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pʰɛːk̚³ tɐu̯²² fuː²² wɐn³⁵ jyːn¹³ kɛː³³ lɐi̯²¹ haː⁵⁵/

/lɵy̯²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ pʰɛːk̚³ tɐu̯²² fuː²² wɐn³⁵ jyːn¹³ kɛː³³ lei̯²¹ haː⁵⁵/


和尚擔遮——無法無天

/wɔː²¹ sœːŋ²²⁻³⁵ taːm⁵⁵ t͡sɛː⁵⁵ mou̯²¹ faːt̚³ mou̯²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

(Cantonese) no respect for law and order; unruly


迅雷不及掩耳盜鈴

ㄒㄩㄣˋ ㄌㄟˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧˊ ㄧㄢˇ ㄦˇ ㄉㄠˋ ㄌㄧㄥˊ

xùnléi bù jí yǎn'ěrdàolíng [Phonetic:xùnléibùjíyáněrdàolíng]

hsün⁴-lei² pu⁴ chi² yen³-êrh³-tao⁴-ling²

сюньлэй бу цзи яньэрдаолин

/ɕyn⁵¹ leɪ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵ jɛn²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ liŋ³⁵/

Blend of 迅雷不及掩耳 (xùnléi bùjí yǎn ěr) + 掩耳盜鈴／掩耳盗铃 (yǎn'ěrdàolíng)

blend

迅雷不及掩耳 迅雷不及掩耳#Chinese

(neologism, humorous) Synonym of 迅雷不及掩耳 (xùnléi bùjí yǎn ěr)


秋後的螞蚱

ㄑㄧㄡ ㄏㄡˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄇㄚˋ ˙ㄓㄚ

цюхоу ди мачжа

/t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ mä⁵¹ ɖ͡ʐ̥ä¹/

/t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵ hɐu̯²² tɪk̚⁵ maː²² t͡saː³³/

/t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵ hɐu̯²² tɪk̚⁵ maː²² t͡saː³³/

From 秋後的螞蚱——蹦躂不了幾天／秋后的蚂蚱——蹦跶不了几天 (qiūhòu dì màzha, bèngda bùliǎo jǐtiān).

zh-l

秋後的螞蚱——蹦躂不了幾天

someone or something (especially being unpleasant) that is active now, but is ultimately doomed to fail


秋後的螞蚱——蹦躂不了幾天

head

秋後的螞蚱——蹦躂不了幾天

ㄑㄧㄡ ㄏㄡˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄇㄚˋ ˙ㄓㄚ

ㄅㄥˋ ˙ㄉㄚ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄐㄧˇ ㄊㄧㄢ

bèngda bùliǎo jǐtiān [Phonetic:qiūhòudìmàzha

цюхоу ди мачжа

бэнда буляо цзитянь

/t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ mä⁵¹ ɖ͡ʐ̥ä¹ pɤŋ⁵¹ d̥ä¹ pu⁵¹ li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/kʷɔː³³ kaːi̯⁵⁵ lou̯¹³ syː³⁵ pɐŋ⁵⁵ tʰaːt̚³ pɐt̚⁵ liːu̯¹³ kei̯³⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

Adult grasshoppers and locusts die in winter.

秋后的蚂蚱——蹦跶不了几天

grasshopper after autumn ― can only hop for a few more days


武則天守寡——失去理智

ㄨˇ ㄗㄜˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄕㄡˇ ㄍㄨㄚˇ

ㄕ ㄑㄩˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄓˋ

У Цзэтянь шоугуа

/u²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sɤ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy⁵¹ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

Wu Zetian's husband was Emperor Gaozong of Tang, whose real name was 李治 (Lǐ Zhì) and is now homophonous to 理智 (lǐzhì) in Mandarin.

When Wu Zetian became a widow - she had lost Li Zhi (her mind)