Chinese

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to cover; to overflow; to reply to a letter
to cover; to overflow; to reply to a letter; to overturn; to capsize
 
wine jar
trad. (覆酒甕) 酒甕
simp. (覆酒瓮) 酒瓮

Etymology

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From the Book of Jin:

為此撫掌:「傖父》,覆酒甕。」以為不能輟筆 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
为此抚掌:「伧父》,覆酒瓮。」以为不能辍笔 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: 648 CE, Fang Xuanling (lead editor), Book of Jin
Chū, Lù Jī rù Luò, yù wèicǐ fù, wén Sī zuò zhī, fǔzhǎng ér xiào, yǔ dì Yún shū yuē: “Cǐ jiān yǒu cāngfù, yù zuò “Sāndū fù”, xū qí chéng, dāng yǐ fùjiǔwèng ěr.” Jí Sī fù chū, jī jué tàn fú, yǐwèi bùnéng jiā yě, suì chuòbǐ yān. [Pinyin]
At first, Lu Ji came to Luoyang, and he wanted to compose an ode for it. When he heard that Zuo Si is writing one, he clapped his hands with scoffing, writing to his younger brother Lu Yun, saying: "There is a coarse man here planning to write a series of odes to the three capitals, and when it is finished, it shall be used to cover a wine jar!" But when Zuo Si finished his ode, Lu Ji appreciated it very much, believing it could not be improved anymore, so he stopped writing his own.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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覆酒甕

  1. (literary) used to describe a worthless book or work

Synonyms

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