吸風飲露

Chinese edit

		to breathe; to suck in; to absorb to breathe; to suck in; to absorb; to inhale	wind; news; style wind; news; style; custom; manner	drink	to show; to reveal; to expose to show; to reveal; to expose; dew
trad. (吸風飲露)		吸	風	飲	露
simp. (吸风饮露)		吸	风	饮	露

Etymology edit

From Zhuangzi:

藐姑射之山，有神人居焉，肌膚若冰雪，淖約若處子，不食五穀，吸風飲露。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

藐姑射之山，有神人居焉，肌肤若冰雪，淖约若处子，不食五谷，吸风饮露。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

Miǎo Gūyè zhī shān, yǒu shénrén jū yān, jīfū ruò bīngxuě, nàoyuē ruò chùzǐ, bù shí wǔgǔ, xīfēngyǐnlù. [Pinyin]

Far away on the hill of Gu Ye there dwelt a Spirit-like man whose flesh and skin were (smooth) as ice and (white) as snow; that his manner was elegant and delicate as that of a virgin; that he did not eat any of the five grains, but inhaled the wind and drank the dew.

Pronunciation edit

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xīfēngyǐnlù

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄈㄥㄧㄣˇ ㄌㄨˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): kap¹ fung¹ jam² lou⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xīfēngyǐnlù
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄈㄥㄧㄣˇ ㄌㄨˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sifongyǐnlù
  - Wade–Giles: hsi¹-fêng¹-yin³-lu⁴
  - Yale: syī-fēng-yǐn-lù
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shifengyiinluh
  - Palladius: сифэнъиньлу (sifɛnʺinʹlu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ in²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: kap¹ fung¹ jam² lou⁶
  - Yale: kāp fūng yám louh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: kap⁷ fung¹ jam² lou⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: keb¹ fung¹ yem² lou⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɐp̚⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ jɐm³⁵ lou̯²²/

Idiom edit

吸風飲露

(literally, of celestial beings) to eat and drink wind and dew as food
(figuratively) to not eat