千里送鵝毛
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Chinese[edit]
to deliver; to carry; to give (as a present) to deliver; to carry; to give (as a present); to present (with); to see off; to send |
goose feather; something as light as a goose feather | |||
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trad. (千里送鵝毛) | 千里 | 送 | 鵝毛 | |
simp. (千里送鹅毛) | 千里 | 送 | 鹅毛 |
Etymology[edit]
Short for 千里送鵝毛,物輕情意重/千里送鹅毛,物轻情意重 or short for 千里送鵝毛,禮輕情意重/千里送鹅毛,礼轻情意重.
According to the Ming scholar Xu Wei, there was a legend that the Dali Kingdom has once sent an ambassador to Tang dynasty with many tributes including a swan. But on the way, the swan flew away and only a feather was left. Finally, the ambassador gave the feather to the Tang emperor and wrote a poem to explain the incident.
Pronunciation[edit]
Idiom[edit]
千里送鵝毛