化腐朽為神奇

See also: 化腐朽为神奇

Chinese

FWOTD – 28 April 2021

		to make into; to change into; ‑ization to make into; to change into; ‑ization; to ... ‑ize; to transform	to rot; to decay; rotten to rot; to decay; rotten; decayed	because of; for; to because of; for; to; act as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to become	magical; mystical; miraculous magical; mystical; miraculous; amazing; mysterious
trad. (化腐朽為神奇/化腐朽爲神奇)		化	腐朽	為/爲	神奇
simp. (化腐朽为神奇)		化	腐朽	为	神奇
Literally: “to turn something rotten into something magical”.

Etymology

From Zhuangzi:

是其所美者為神奇，其所惡者為臭腐。臭腐復化為神奇，神奇復化為臭腐。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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是其所美者为神奇，其所恶者为臭腐。臭腐复化为神奇，神奇复化为臭腐。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

Shì qí suǒ měi zhě wéi shénqí, qí suǒ è zhě wéi chòufǔ. Chòufǔ fù huàwéi shénqí, shénqí fù huàwéi chòufǔ. [Pinyin]

What we love is animation. What we hate is corruption. But corruption in its turn becomes animation, and animation once more becomes corruption.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): huà fǔxiǔ wéi shénqí

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄈㄨˇ ㄒㄧㄡˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄣˊ ㄑㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): faa³ fu⁶ nau² wai⁴ san⁴ kei⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: huà fǔxiǔ wéi shénqí [Phonetic: huàfúxiǔwéishénqí]
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄈㄨˇ ㄒㄧㄡˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄣˊ ㄑㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: huà fǔsiǒu wéi shéncí
    • Wade–Giles: hua⁴ fu³-hsiu³ wei² shên²-chʻi²
    • Yale: hwà fǔ-syǒu wéi shén-chí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huah fuusheou wei shernchyi
    • Palladius: хуа фусю вэй шэньци (xua fusju vɛj šɛnʹci)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ä⁵¹ fu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ʂən³⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: faa³ fu⁶ nau² wai⁴ san⁴ kei⁴
    • Yale: fa fuh náu wàih sàhn kèih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: faa³ fu⁶ nau² wai⁴ san⁴ kei⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: fa³ fu⁶ neo² wei⁴ sen⁴ kéi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /faː³³ fuː²² nɐu̯³⁵ wɐi̯²¹ sɐn²¹ kʰei̯²¹/

Idiom

化腐朽為神奇

1. to find a new use for something that has been discarded; to make a silk purse of a sow's ear

   • 《紅樓夢》寫了各種人的男女關係，包括賈璉、薛蟠的不堪情狀，但還是化腐朽為神奇的筆墨，不能刪除的。 [MSC, trad.]
     《红楼梦》写了各种人的男女关系，包括贾琏、薛蟠的不堪情状，但还是化腐朽为神奇的笔墨，不能删除的。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1985 May 3, 孫犁, 《小說與色情》, in 《小說雜談》

     “Hónglóumèng” xiě le gèzhǒng rén de nánnǚ guānxì, bāokuò Gǔ Liǎn, Xuē Pán de bùkān qíngzhuàng, dàn háishì huà fǔxiǔ wéi shénqí de bǐmò, bùnéng shānchú de. [Pinyin]

     Dream of the Red Chamber depicts relationships between various men and women, including the wickedness of Jia Lian and Xue Pan. However, those words made a silk purse of a sow's ear and should not be removed.

   • 人間的高手，製茶釀酒如果出錯，只能接受失敗；但我們的人生在上帝手中，卻可以化腐朽為神奇。 [MSC, trad.]
     人间的高手，制茶酿酒如果出错，只能接受失败；但我们的人生在上帝手中，却可以化腐朽为神奇。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2012 April, 方華, 茶、酒、人生, in 《中信》, issue 600

     Rénjiān de gāoshǒu, zhì chá niàng jiǔ rúguǒ chūcuò, zhǐ néng jiēshòu shībài; dàn wǒmen de rénshēng zài Shàngdì shǒu zhōng, què kěyǐ huà fǔxiǔ wéi shénqí. [Pinyin]

     If a human expert makes a mistake when making tea or wine, he can only accept his failure, but our lives, in God's hands, can be made into something wonderful.

Synonyms

• 化腐為奇／化腐为奇
• 化腐成奇