Food Culture

pchenery
 July 13, 2009, 06:52 PM posted in General Discussion

Interesting how many Chinese idioms are based on the verb "to eat":

吃文化

 

"老外"们猛然发现，中国文化其实就是“吃文化”！谋生叫糊口，工作叫饭碗；受雇叫混饭；靠积蓄过日子叫吃老本；混得好的叫吃得开；占女人便宜叫吃豆腐；女人漂亮叫秀色可餐；受人欢迎叫吃香; 受偏受照顾叫吃小灶；不顾他人叫吃独食；没人理会叫吃闭门羹；有苦难言叫吃哑巴亏；嫉妒叫吃醋；理解不透叫囫囵吞枣；理解深刻叫吃透精神；广泛流传叫脍炙人口；收入太少叫吃不饱；负担太重叫吃不消；犹豫不决叫吃不准；干不成叫干什么吃的；负不起责任叫吃不了兜着走。
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pchenery
 July 13, 2009, 06:58 PM

Perhaps we could have a Qing Wen lesson on these and similar idioms ?

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sushan
 July 14, 2009, 02:15 AM

This is a neat list, thanks. There is also 吃苦, which I am seeing on many job advertisements lately. I think it means work hard.

Though I don't think it's as suprising to foreigners as this person seems to think. After all, we have tons of such expressions in English as well - eat dirt, eat crow, eat one's words, have your cake and eat it, food for thought, meal ticket, etc

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pchenery
 July 14, 2009, 02:29 AM

Thanks Sushan.

吃苦 chi1 ku3 = to bear / hardships