炒魷魚

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See also: 炒鱿鱼

Chinese

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saute; pan-fry; to fry
saute; pan-fry; to fry; fried
 
squid
trad. (炒魷魚) 魷魚
simp. (炒鱿鱼) 鱿鱼
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Etymology

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Originally from Cantonese.

The phrase is metaphorical: “to fry a squid” > “fried squids curl up” > “to roll up the bedclothes and leave” > “to be fired”.

Compare the English phrase to get the sack and the Mandarin phrase 捲鋪蓋卷铺盖 (juǎn pūgai).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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炒⫽魷魚 (verb-object)

  1. (literally) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see (chǎo),‎ 魷魚鱿鱼 (yóuyú).
  2. (figurative, slang) to sack someone; to fire someone
    炒魷魚炒鱿鱼  ―  Wǒ bèi chǎo yóuyú le.  ―  I've been fired.
    老闆魷魚老板鱿鱼  ―  chǎo lǎobǎn yóuyú  ―  (humorous) to resign (literally, “to fire the boss”)

Synonyms

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  • (to sack someone):
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