吸風飲露

Chinese

		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

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.]

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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

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xīfēngyǐnlù

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧ ㄈㄥ ㄧㄣˇ ㄌㄨˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): kap¹ fung¹ jam² lou⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xīfēngyǐnlù
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧ ㄈㄥ ㄧㄣˇ 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

吸風飲露

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