酒池肉林

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Chinese

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rows of meat suspended in the shape of trees; wanton extravagance
trad. (酒池肉林) 酒池 肉林
simp. #(酒池肉林) 酒池 肉林
Literally: “pool of wine and forest of meat”.

Etymology

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Originally referring to the recreational facility built by King Zhou of Shang:

沙丘使男女其閒長夜 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
沙丘使男女其闲长夜 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE
Dà jù yuè xì yú shāqiū, yǐ jiǔ wèi chí, xuán ròu wèi lín, shǐ nánnǚ luǒ xiàng zhú qíjiān, wèi chángyè zhī yǐn. [Pinyin]
(King Zhou) gathered entertainers at a dune and built a pool with wine and a forest with meat there. He also let boys and girls chase each other naked and had drinking parties overnight.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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酒池肉林

  1. debauched activities; excessive extravagance

Descendants

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Sino-Xenic (酒池肉林):