塗鴉

See also: 涂鸦

Chinese

		to smear; daub	crow
trad. (塗鴉)		塗	鴉
simp. (涂鸦)		涂	鸦

Etymology

From a poem by Tang-dynasty poet Lu Tong.

忽來案上翻墨汁，塗抹詩書如老鴉。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
忽来案上翻墨汁，涂抹诗书如老鸦。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 9th century, Lu Tong, 《示添丁》(Solemn Instructions to the Toddler Boy)

Hū lái àn shàng fān mòzhī, tú mǒ Shī Shū rú lǎoyā. [Pinyin]

All of a sudden you flip o'er the ink — gone are the Canons now daubed like a crow.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): túyā

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄨˊ ㄧㄚ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): tou⁴ aa¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: túyā
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄨˊ ㄧㄚ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: túya
    • Wade–Giles: tʻu²-ya¹
    • Yale: tú-yā
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: twuia
    • Palladius: туя (tuja)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰu³⁵ jä⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: tou⁴ aa¹
    • Yale: tòuh ā
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tou⁴ aa¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: tou⁴ a¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰou̯²¹ aː⁵⁵/

Verb

塗鴉

1. (often humble) to write (characters, calligraphy) or draw (painting) in a casual, poor or unaesthetic manner; to scrawl; to scribble

   犬儒惜墨如金處，虎將塗鴉以血時。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
   犬儒惜墨如金处，虎将涂鸦以血时。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

   From: c. 1963, Nie Gannu, 《訪丘東來烈士陵園故居》

   Quǎnrú xīmòrújīn chù, hǔjiāng túyā yǐ xuè shí. [Pinyin]

   Where a petty scholar stints on the ink, the warrior scrawls liberally with his blood.

2. to write graffiti; to graffiti; to vandalise

   禁止塗鴉！／禁止涂鸦！  ―  Jìnzhǐ túyā!  ―  Graffiti prohibited.

   牆上的塗鴉／墙上的涂鸦  ―  qiáng shàng de túyā  ―  graffiti on the wall

Synonyms

• (to write graffiti): 漆鴉／漆鸦 (qīyā)

Related terms

• 刻畫／刻画 (kèhuà)