秀色可餐

Chinese

		beautiful facial features	can; may; able to can; may; able to; certain(ly); to suit; (particle used for emphasis)	eat; meal
trad. (秀色可餐)		秀色	可	餐
simp. #(秀色可餐)		秀色	可	餐
Literally: “a beautiful countenance that can be eaten”.

Etymology

From a line in the poem 《日出東南隅行》 by Lu Ji (陸機):

鮮膚一何潤，秀色若可餐。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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鲜肤一何润，秀色若可餐。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

Xiān fū yī hé rùn, xiùsè ruò kě cān. [Pinyin]

Her skin, soft and tender, and her beauty, deliciously desirable.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiùsèkěcān

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄙㄜˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄘㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sau³ sik¹ ho² caan¹
• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): siu³ sêg⁴ ko² cang¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiùsèkěcān
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄡˋ ㄙㄜˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄘㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siòusèkěcan
    • Wade–Giles: hsiu⁴-sê⁴-kʻo³-tsʻan¹
    • Yale: syòu-sè-kě-tsān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiowsehkeetsan
    • Palladius: сюсэкэцань (sjusɛkɛcanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ sɤ⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sau³ sik¹ ho² caan¹
    • Yale: sau sīk hó chāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sau³ sik⁷ ho² tsaan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: seo³ xig¹ ho² can¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐu̯³³ sɪk̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ t͡sʰaːn⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: siu³ sêg⁴ ko² cang¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: siù sek khó tshang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siu²¹³⁻⁵⁵ sek̚²⁻⁴ kʰo⁵²⁻³⁵ t͡sʰaŋ³³/

Idiom

秀色可餐

1. (of a woman) extremely attractive; breathtakingly beautiful