易子而食

Chinese

		change; easy; simple	child; son; (noun suffix) child; son; (noun suffix); small thing; seed; egg; 1st earthly branch; 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight	and; as well as; but (not) and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)	eat; food; to feed eat; food; to feed; animal feed
trad. (易子而食)		易	子	而	食
simp. #(易子而食)		易	子	而	食

Etymology

From Zuo Zhuan:

敝邑易子而食，析骸以爨。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

Bìyì yìzǐ'érshí, xīháiyǐcuàn. [Pinyin]

In the city we are exchanging our children and eating them, and splitting up their bones for fuel.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yìzǐ'érshí

  (Zhuyin): ㄧˋ ㄗˇ ㄦˊ ㄕˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jik⁶ zi² ji⁴ sik⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yìzǐ'érshí
    • Zhuyin: ㄧˋ ㄗˇ ㄦˊ ㄕˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yìzǐh-érshíh
    • Wade–Giles: i⁴-tzŭ³-êrh²-shih²
    • Yale: yì-dž-ér-shŕ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yihtzyyerlshyr
    • Palladius: ицзыэрши (iczyerši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jik⁶ zi² ji⁴ sik⁶
    • Yale: yihk jí yìh sihk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jik⁹ dzi² ji⁴ sik⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yig⁶ ji² yi⁴ xig⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɪk̚² t͡siː³⁵ jiː²¹ sɪk̚²/

Idiom

易子而食

1. people exchange their children with one another and eat them (describing dire famines caused by disasters)