沆瀣一氣

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Chinese

misty fog; to act in collusion
trad. (沆瀣一氣) 沆瀣 一氣
simp. (沆瀣一气) 沆瀣 一气

Etymology

A story during the Tang dynasty:

乾符座主門生沆瀣一氣」。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
乾符座主门生沆瀣一气」。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Song dynasty, 錢易 (Qian Yi), 南部新書
Yòu Qiánfú èr nián, Cuī Hàng fàng Cuī Xiè, tánzhě chēng “zuòzhǔ ménshēng, hàngxièyīqì”. [Pinyin]
In the second year of Qianfu (i.e. 875 CE), a student, named Cui Xie, was admitted by an examiner, named Cui Hang, during the imperial examinations. Both Xie and Hang meant “mist of vapour in the air” in Classical Chinese, and people at the time remarked: “the examiner and the student ― Hang and Xie ― are of the same gang”.

Pronunciation


Idiom

沆瀣一氣

  1. (derogatory, of bad people) to act in collusion; to gang up