We’re happy to bring you free Chinese lessons. This series dives into idioms and proverbs, meaningful and practical. Today’s phrase is 「易子而食」, with its usage explained below.
Today’s spotlight is on the Chinese idiom 「易子而食」. You’ll find its explanation and usage below.
Zi: refers to children. Originally it referred to the situation during the Spring and Autumn Period when the State of Song was besieged and the city ran out of food, so the people exchanged their children for food. Later it was used to describe the extremely miserable lives of disaster victims.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
yì zǐ ér shí
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
yi6 ji2 yi4 sik6
Chinese idioms are limitless in number and diversity, presenting endless learning opportunities. These tools are here to help you embrace the beauty of the language.
