病西施
Chinese edit
ailment; illness; disease ailment; illness; disease; fall ill; sick; defect |
Xi Shi; beautiful woman | ||
---|---|---|---|
trad. (病西施) | 病 | 西施 | |
simp. #(病西施) | 病 | 西施 | |
Literally: “sick Xi Shi”. |
Etymology edit
From a folk tradition that the beauty Xi Shi appeared even more beautiful when sick.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
病西施
- a beautiful sick person
- 好個美人!真像個病西施了。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
- From: Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, mid-18th century CE
- Hǎo ge měirén! Zhēnxiàng ge bìng Xīshī le. [Pinyin]
- What a beauty! She really resembles a sick Xishi.
好个美人!真像个病西施了。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]