骨瘦如柴

Chinese

		bone	tight; thin; lean	as (if); such as	firewood
trad. (骨瘦如柴)		骨	瘦	如	柴
simp. #(骨瘦如柴)		骨	瘦	如	柴
alternative forms		骨瘦如豺
Literally: “as thin as a stick”.

Etymology

瘦如豺 (“as thin as a dhole”) was first described in Song Dynasty dictionary Piya, where also mention the homophonous alternative form using 柴 (chái, “stick”), which is now more common.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gǔshòurúchái

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨˇ ㄕㄡˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄔㄞˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gwat¹ sau³ jyu⁴ caai⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gǔshòurúchái
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨˇ ㄕㄡˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄔㄞˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gǔshòurúchái
    • Wade–Giles: ku³-shou⁴-ju²-chʻai²
    • Yale: gǔ-shòu-rú-chái
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guushowruchair
    • Palladius: гушоужучай (gušoužučaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰaɪ̯³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gwat¹ sau³ jyu⁴ caai⁴
    • Yale: gwāt sau yùh chàaih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gwat⁷ sau³ jy⁴ tsaai⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: gued¹ seo³ yu⁴ cai⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷɐt̚⁵ sɐu̯³³ jyː²¹ t͡sʰaːi̯²¹/

Idiom

骨瘦如柴

1. as thin as a stick; emaciated; unhealthily skinny