妻離子散
Chinese edit
wife; to marry off (a daughter) | to leave; to depart; to go away to leave; to depart; to go away; from |
child; son; (noun suffix) child; son; (noun suffix); small thing; seed; egg; 1st earthly branch; 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight |
adjourn; scatter; leisurely adjourn; scatter; leisurely; loosen; powdered medicine; to scatter; to come loose | ||
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trad. (妻離子散) | 妻 | 離 | 子 | 散 | |
simp. (妻离子散) | 妻 | 离 | 子 | 散 |
Etymology edit
- 彼奪其民時,使不得耕耨以養其父母,父母凍餓,兄弟妻子離散。彼陷溺其民,王往而征之,夫誰與王敵? [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Bǐ duó qí mín shí, shǐ bùdé gēng nòu yǐ yǎng qí fùmǔ, fùmǔ dòng'è, xiōngdì qīzǐ lísàn. Bǐ xiàn nì qí mín, wáng wǎng ér zhēng zhī, fú shuí yǔ wáng dí? [Pinyin]
- The rulers of those States rob their people of their time, so that they cannot plough and weed their fields, in order to support their parents. Their parents suffer from cold and hunger. Brothers, wives, and children are separated and scattered abroad. Those rulers, as it were, drive their people into pit-falls, or drown them. Your Majesty will go to punish them. In such a case, who will oppose your Majesty?
彼夺其民时,使不得耕耨以养其父母,父母冻饿,兄弟妻子离散。彼陷溺其民,王往而征之,夫谁与王敌? [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation edit
Idiom edit
妻離子散
- to have one's family dispersed